PHELPS' BEE-KEEPER'S CHART; 

BEING A *4 .' 

BRIEF PRACTICAL TREATISE 

ON THE 

INSTINCT, HABITS AND MANAGEMENT 

OP THE 

HONEY-BEE, 

IN ALL ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. 



THE RESULTS OF MANY YEAES' PKACTICAL EXPERIExVCE, TO RENDER BEE-KEEPIXQ 

LESS DIFFICULT, AND AT THE SAME TIME MORE SURE, PROFITABLE 

AND PLEASANT THAN IT HAS FORMERLY BEEN. 



BY E. W. PHELPS, 

INVENTOR AND PATENTEE OF THE OHIO COMBINATION BEEHIVE. 



..><>' 



NEW YOEK: 

C. M. SAXTON, AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHER, 

152 FXXLTON STREET , 

1854. '" 



SF523 
.T5 3 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the j^ear 1853, by 
E. W. PHELPS, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of tlie United States for the District 
of Massachusetts. 



K. O. JENKINS, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPKR, 
114 NASSAU STREET, N. YORK. 



CONTENTS. 



Preface, 

Chap. I.- 

II.- 

III. 

IV.- 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

vin. 



IX.— 



X. 

XI. 

XII.—: 



XIII 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI, 

XVII 

XVIII 
XIX. 

XX 



Introduction, 

The Queen Bee, . 

-The Operation of Laying, 

-The Development of the Brood, 

-The Working Bee, 

-The Drone, 

-Longevity of Bees.— Longevity of the Queen, 

-The Apiary.— Influence of the morning sun beneficial.— 

Out-door Apiary, . . . • 

Hives.— Bee-Hives.— Weeks' A^ermont Hive.— Storifying 
and Subtended Hives.— Bevan's Cross-Bar Hive.— 
Collateral Hives.— Nutt's Collateral Hive. -Miner's 
Equilateral Cross-Bar Hive. 
-Formation of Swarms, . . . • • 

-Symptoms prior to Swarming.— Symptoms prior to a se- 
cond Swarm, . . • • • 
■Hiving Swarms.— Preparation of Hives for the reception 
of Swarms, . . . • • 
,— Artificial clustering shrubs or bushes, 
— Hiver, . • • • • • * 
—Different swarms uniting, .... 

, Uniting second or weak swarms, 

.—Reunion of the parent stock with a second or third 

swarm, ...••• 
.—Equalizing Colonies.— Swarms consist of Bees of all ages, 
,— The conversion of the Egg or Larva of a worker to a 
Queen, . • ... 

— Formation of Artificial Swarms, 

(3) 



PAGE. 
5 
9 

10 
11 
12 
15 
17 
19 



22 



25 
40 

45 

48 
50 
50 
51 
52 

54 
55 

56 
57 



IV CONTENTS. 








PAGE. 


Chap. XXL — Massacre of Drones, . . . . .59 


XXII. — Driving or dislodging Bees, 






60 


XXIII. — Spring Management, 






63 


XXIV. — Summer Management, 






64 


XXV.— Fall Management, 






65 


XXVI.—Wintering Bees, 






65 


XXVII.— Feeding Bees, . 






68 


XXVIII. — Wax made from Honey, 






70 


XXIX. — Architecture of Bees, . 






72 


XXX.— Sight, .... 






74 


XXXI.— Pollen or Bee-Bread, . 






76 


XXXII. — Propolis, 






77 


XXXm.— Pasturage, 






. • 78 


XXXIV.— Purchasing Bees, 






79 


XXXV.— Transporting Bees, 






80 


XXXVL — Bees in large towns or cities, . 






81 


XXXVIL — How the Bees may be driven from boxe 


s, 




82 


XXXYIIL— Ventilation, .... 






83 


XXXIX. — Disease of Bees and Brood, 






84 


XL. — Tools for cutting Combs. — Pruning, . 






84 


XLI. — To extract Honey from the Combs, 






86 


XL II.— Bees-Wax, .... 






87 


XLIIL— Bee Dress, .... 






87 


XLIV.— Cure for Bee Stings, . 






89 


XLV. — Salt and Water necessary. 






89 


XT ,VL— Remarks, .... 






90 



PREFACE. 



In presenting to the community this brief treatise on the manage- 
ment of the Honey Bee, and the construction of Bee-Hives, the au- 
thor is not vain enough to suppose that it vv^ill meet the views of 
every Bee-keeper in all respects, for he is vv^ell aware that there is 
scarcely any subject on which such a diversity of opinion exists, as 
on the form and size of bee-hives, and the general management of 
bees. But from the universal satisfaction the Ohio Combination Bee- 
Hive has given, during the last four or five seasons, in several hun- 
dred instances, where it has had a thorough trial, and the high com- 
mendations it has received from a large number of the best practical 
bee-keepers in the State of Ohio, where its merits are known, the 
author is led to believe that when this hive is once brought before 
the pubUc and its advantages made known, it will supersede all 
others, and render the culture of the Honey Bee far more sure and 
profitable than it has formerly been, and divest it of much that has 
been perplexing and diflScult to understand, and overcome ; and, at 
the same time, much more pleasant and interesting, to every one that 
has a taste or desire to engage in the culture of this most wonderful 
and interesting Uttle insect, which has attracted the attention of phi- 
losophers and naturalists, and called forth the admiration of wise men 



VI PKEFACE. 

and poets of all ages, and whose Mysterious operations are calculated 
to raise our thoughts to Him who creates and sustains all things. 

" The industrious Bee has ever been viewed by intelhgent natural- 
ists as an interesting species of insects, and the fruits of its industry 
as among the choicest productions of nature," and affording a most de- 
licious luxury to the human race. 

This treatise is intended rather as an accompaniment to the " Ohio 
Combination Bee-Hive :" but while giving directions for constructing 
and using the Hive, the author has thought it might not be considered 
out of place to give his views on the general management of bees, and 
the construction of bee-hives, which are the results of more than twenty 
years' experience, during which period he has devoted a large amount 
of time and expense in experimenting with hives of various forms and 
sizes, and improving every means in his power to gain all the infor- 
mation possible from others engaged in the culture of bees. And 
while studying the instinct and habits of the bee, to combine in one 
hive as many requisites as possible, suited both to the wants of the 
bee, and convenience of the apiarian. And the inventor has now 
the pleasure and satisfaction of knowing that the '' Ohio Combination 
Hive" does receive the unqualified • approbation of ninety-nine out of 
every hundred bee-keepers that have given it a trial or examination. 

The inventor would here state that in bringing this hive before the 
pubhc at this time, that it is no new untried experiment, but that it 
has stood the test of four or five seasons in several hundred instances, 
and that many that have used it during that period, have testified 
that the longer they use them the better satisfied they become of 
their great utility and superiority over every other hive known to 
them. In my remarks in the following pages on the physiology of 
the bee, I am indebted to a considerable extent to Huber and Dr. 
Be van, both of whom stand high as Naturalists and Apiarians, where- 



PBEFACE. Vll 

ever they are known. I have availed myself also of the information 
of several American authors, and with my own, which is the result 
of many years' practical experience, I have endeavored in as brief 
and explicit a manner as possible, to lay them before the reader, hop- 
ing that they may accomplish the object aimed at by the author, viz. : 
a more easy, pleasant, profitable, and humane method of managing 
the Honey Bee. 



CHAPTER I. 



INTRODUCTION". 



The object of this treatise is not to enter into a detail of the physi- 
ology and anatomy of the Bee, and a scientific definition of its pecu- 
liar construction, but to place before the public a practical work, the 
result of actual experience, whereby the veriest tyro in Bee-keeping 
will be enabled, with the aid of proper hives, to enter upon their cul- 
ture, with almost a surety of success. We, therefore, have left out 
the scientific disquisitions of those who profess to be learned in the 
physiological structure of this interesting insect, and proceed at once 
to describe the different classes into which the common honey bee is 
divided, a thorough knowledge of whose peculiarities, habits, and 
ofiices, which each individual class is called upon .to perform, in the 
municipal regulations of the hive, is necessary for their successful 
culture. Many works are published upon this subject, which contain 
much which is not easily understood by the general reader, and of little 
practical use to the common bee-keeper, who in most instances has but a 
little time to spare, to search through rubbish after practical truths, 
and who requires a treatise easily understood, and as easily put into 
practical use. Such as require a more extended work, we refer to 
those of Huber, Bevan, and many of the larger works upon the sub- 
ject to be found in our bookstores. We proceed to describe the three 
classes of bees Mdiich are necessary to constitute a successful working 
hive, viz. : the Queen Bee, the Working Bee, and the Drone. 



1* 



CHAPTER ^T 



i X 




THE QUEEN BEE. 

The Queen Bee is at once the mother and mistress of the Hive. 
She is distinguishable from the rest of the community by certain 
marks, which render her detection very easy, by any one once ac- 
quainted vrith her peculiarities. She is longer in the body than the 
common bee, and moves with a more deliberate and measured tread. 
Her wings are shorter than those of the worker or drone, whose bod- 
ies are entirely covered, while those of the queen scarcely reach be- 
yond the middle. Her body tapers gradually to a point, her under 
jaws are shorter, her head rounder, her trunk more slender, and not 
half so long as that of the working bee. Her legs, though longer, 
have neither brushes nor baskets, or cavities in the thighs for the con- 
veyance of farina and propolis. Her colors distinguish her also.: the 
upper surface of her body being a much brighter black, and the under 
surface and the legs of a dark orange or copper color, that of the 
hinder legs being somewhat deeper than the rest. We think the 
above explanation of the appearance of the queen will enable almost 
any one to distinguish her from the other bees in the hive, and if ne- 
cessary to remove her when requisite, as is sometimes the case in 
managing bees. 

The office of the queen is to increase the species by the laying of 
eggs, which she deposits in cells constructed for their reception. 

10 



THE OPERAIION OF LAYING. 11 

These cells vary from one another in size, according as they are to be 
used as depositories of eggs that are to become drones, or of those 
that are to become workers. The cells of the drones are built at the 
lower edge of the combs generally, and are about as large again as 
the cells of the workers, and the combs containing them are also much 
thicker. The store-cells and drone-cells are of the same size. There 
are but two diameters for the cells of the combs of the honey bee, 
one for the brood-comb of the workers, the other for drone and 
store combs. The brood-combs are, however, occasionally used to 
store honey in. The royal or queen cells are about as large as a peanut, 
and bear a great resemblance to that nut, and are always placed on 
the edge of the comb, either on the outside or on the side of a hole or 
passage-way through the comb, with the mouth downwards. 



CHAPTEE III. 

THE OPERATION OF LAYING. 

The queen commences laying as early as January and February, if 
the weather is moderate, and lays to a greater or less extent accord- 
ing to the temperature of the weather, the strength of the stock, and 
amount of honey in the hive, and much earlier in a southern than 
northern climate. 

She first lays worker eggs for several weeks in succession in that 
portion of the combs denominated brood-combs, and occupying the 
central part of the hive. The following description of the operation 
of laying (which is correct to the letter) is given by the " Rev. M. 
Dunbar, Minister of Applegarth, England," and Dr. Bevan says '-they 
are quits in accordance with similar experiments made by Mr. GTolding 
and himself." Mr. Miner, also, and several American authors, have 
certified to the correctness of the statement. "Mr. D. states that 
when the queen is about to lay she puts her head into a cell and re- 
mains in that position for a second or two, probably to ascertain the 
fitness for the deposit which she is about to make. She then with- 
draws her head, and curving her body downwards, inserts her tail 
into the cell. In a few seconds she turns half round upon herself, and 



12 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOD. 

■withdraws, leaving an egg behind her. When she lays a considerable 
number she does it equally on each side of the comb, those on the 
one side being as exactly opposite to those on the other as the rela- 
tive positions of the cells will admit. The eflect of this is to produce 
a concentration and economy of heat, for developing the various 
changes of the brood." During the process of lajnng she is usually 
accompanied by several workers, who appear to bestow upon her a 
great degree of attention and respect. She continues lajnng worker 
eggs for several weeks in succession, during the latter part of which 
she lays to a greater extent than in the former. Some four weeks before 
the time for swarming, she commences laying drone eggs. These are 
deposited in cells of larger size prepared for their reception. The number 
of drone eggs amount generally to from four to six hundred. It is 
during the laying of drone eggs that the roi/al cells are prepared, (and 
if it is decided by the bees that a swarm can be spared,) the queen 
deposits eggs in these at intervals, as has been stated, so as to mature 
at the time a swarm would probably immigrate. The form of the eggs 
of the queen are of a long oval shape, about the size of that produced 
by the large green fly, but curved a little, and of a transparent bluish- 
white color, and are besmeared with a glutinous substance which ad- 
heres them to the bottom of the cell, in which position they remain 
for three or four days, (according to the temperature of the weather,) 
when a small worm or maggot is produced. The workers immedi- 
ately commence nursing and feeding them with farina (or bee-bread) 
and honey, with which they supply them most bountifully. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BPtOOD. 

The following description of the development of the brood in its 
various stages, from the egg to the fall-grown Bee, is from Dr. 
Sevan's work, and accords with my own observation and apiarians 
generally. Dr. Bevan says, " The eggs of bees are of a lengthened 
oval shape, with a shght curvature, and of a bluish-white color: 
they are about the size of those which are laid by the butterfly 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOD. 13 

upon cabbage-leaves, are composed of a thin membrane, filled 
with a whitish hquor, and being besmeared at the time of laying 
with a glutinous substance, they adhere to the bases of the cells, 
and remain unchanged in figure or situation for four days; then 
they are hatched, the bottom of each cell presenting to \ie\v a small 
Avhite worm or maggot, with several ventral rings. On its growing so 
as to touch the opposite angle of the cell, it coils itself up in the 
shape of a semicircle. To use the language of Swammerdam, it 
coils itself up hke a dog when he is going to sleep, and floats in a whi- 
tish transparent fluid, which is deposited in the cells by the nursing 
bees, and by which it is probably nourished ; it becomes gradually 
enlarged in its dimensions, till the two extremities touch one another 
and form a ring. In this state it obtains indifferently the name of 
■worm, larva, maggot, or gruh, and is fed with farina or bee-bread. The 
slightest movement on the part of the nursing bees suflaces to attract 
it to its food, to receive the welcome morsels of which it eagerly opens 
I its two lateral pincers, and a most liberal supply is afforded to it, 
j though by no means trenching on the bounds of prodigality. So 
' nicely do the bees calculate the quantity which will be required, that 
I none remains in the cell when the larva is transformed to a nymph. 
; It was the opinion of Reaumur, and is still that of many eminent 
I naturalists, that farina does not constitute the sole food of the bee 
I larvae ; but that it consists of a mixture of farina with a certain pro- 
I portion of honey and water, partly digested in the stomachs of the 
.nursing bees, the relative proportions of honey and farina varying ac- 
I cording to the age of the young. The compound at first is nearly in- 
] sipid, but gradually receives an accession of sweetness which increases 
las the insects approach maturity. 

The larva having derived support in the manner above described, 
for four, five, or six days, according to the season, continues to in- 
crease during that period, till it occupies the whole breadth and 
nearly the length of the cell. The nursing bees now seal up the 
cell, with a hght brown cover, externally more or less convex, (the 
icap of a drone-cell is more convex than that of a worker,) and thiie 
differing from that of a honey-cell, which is paler and somewhat 
concave. The larva is no sooner perfectly inclosed than it begins to 



14 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOD. 

labor, alternately extending and shortening its body, whilst it lines 
the cell by spinning round itself, after the manner of the silk-worm, 
a whitish silky film or cocoon^ by which it is encased, as it were, in a 
pod or pellicle. The silken thread employed in forming this covering 
proceeds from the middle part of the under lip, and is in fact com- 
posed of two threads, gummed together as they issue from the two 
adjoining orifices of the spinner."''- When it has undergone this 
change it has usually borne the name of nymph or pupa. '' The work- 
ing hee 7iymph spins its cocoon in thirty-six hours. After passing 
about three days in this state of preparation for a new existence, it 
gradually undergoes so great a change as not to wear a vestige of 
its previous form, but becomes armed with a firmer mail, and with 
scales of a dark brown hue, fringed with light hairs. On its belly six 
rings become distinguishable, which by slipping one over another en- 
able the bee to shorten its body, whenever it has occasion to do so ; 
its breast becomes entirely covered with gray feather-like hairs, which 
as the insect advances in age assume a reddish hue. 

When it has reached the twenty-first day. of its existence, counting 
from the moment the Q^g is laid, it quits the exuvia of the pupa 
state, comes forth a perfect winged insect, and is termed an imago. 
The cocoon or pellicle is left behind, and forms a closely attached and 
exact lining to the cell in which it was spun. By this means the 
breeding cells become smaller, and their partitions stronger, the oft- 
ener they change their tenants ; and when they have become so 
much diminished in size by this succession of pellicles or linings, as 
not to admit of the perfect development of full-sized bees, they are 
converted into the receptables for honey. Such are the respective 
stages of the working bee ; those of the queen bee are as follows : 

She passes three days in the Qgg^ and is five days a worm ; the 
workers then close her cell, and she immediately begins spinning the 
cocoon, which occupies her twenty-four hours. On the tenth and 
eleventh days, as if exhausted by her labor, she remains in complete 
repose, and even sixteen hours of the twelfth day. Then she passes 
four days and one third as a nymph. It is on the sixteenth day, 
therefore, that the perfect state of a queen is attained." " The drone 

* Kirby and Spencer. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOD. 15 

or male passes three days in the egg, six 3nd a half as a worm, and 
metamorphoses into a fly or perfect bee on the twenty-fourth or 
twenty-fifth day after the egg is laid." 

" The young bees break their envelope with their teeth, and are as- 
sisted as soon as they come forth by the older ones, proceed to clean 
themselves from the exuviae with which they were surrounded," and 
in the course of a few hours are busily engaged in the labors of the 
family. " We have seen her," says Wildman, " the same day issue 
from the cell, and return from the fields loaded with wax like the 
rest." Others suppose they remain in the hive for two or three days 
before they commence their labors. 

The royal cells, instead of being near horizontal, as the brood 
and store-house cells, are placed in perpendicular position on the 
edges of the combs, near the centre of the hive, are of much larger 
dimensions, and are not adjoining each other, but occupy different po- 
sitions on the edges of the combs, and resemble in form the shell of 
a peanut, as previously stated in Chap, ii., and from three to twelve in 
number. At the time the nymph is about to change to the perfect 
queen, the bees cut or gnaw away the wax or covering of the cell, 
rendering it very thin. In this position the young queen is supplied 
with food by the worker bees, by means of a small hole in the cover- 
ing, through which the confined queen receives its food from the 
worker bees. Bevan says, "Probably the young queens are thus tem- 
porarily imprisoned, the more complete to ensure success to them in 
[their first efforts to fly, which would seem to be an object of consid- 
lerable importance. In furtherance of this, they are provided with 
capacious shells, which, by enabhng them to expand their wings, be- 
ifore they emerge, fit them for immediate flight, whereas the Avork- 
lers and drones issue from their cells with folded wings." It has been 
Isupposed by some apiarians that the worker bees stand very much in 
awe of their sovereign, and that she has them perfectly at her command 
and control. Huber declares that he " has heard it on various occa- 
sions, and witnessed the striking efi'ect which it has always pro- 
'duced.'' Other apiarians have, however, expressed different opinions, 
and have never witnessed any such effect produced as has been stated 
by Huber, and I doubt very much whether the queen has, and does 



15 THE WORKING BEE. 

exercise that authority ov5r the colony in all their avocation, that has 
been attributed to her by many writers. That she is very much es- 
teemed and prized by her subjects I readily admit ; but it appears to 
me that they are governed more by the impulse of a natural instinct, 
for each to voluntarily fill and occupy the sphere designed them by 
the Creator, than by the command of the queen ; for, unlike man, 
each appears to know their place, and gladly occupy it, and have no 
ambitious spirit to gratify, having no mutineers or revolutionists in 
the colony, but all united, and if you insult or injure one individual, 
you rouse the ire of the whole family. 



CHAPTEE V. 




THE WORKING BEE. 

The next class for consideration is the worker bee. We have given 
the process of laying and hatching the bees in the preceding pages. 
"We now give a description of the working bee. 

These are by some called neuters or mules ; by others female non- 
hreeders. The latter is, undoubtedly, the more appropriate title, the 
workers being sterile females with undeveloped ovaries. In a single 
hive the number of these varies from 12,000 to 20,000. If swarming 
is prevented by aflfording room, a single family, in summer, may con- 
tain 50 or 60,000. They are the smallest members of the community, 
are furnished with a long flexible apparatus known by the name of 
proboscis, have a peculiar structure of the legs and thighs, on the latter 
of which are small hollows or baskets, to receive and carry the pro- 
polis and farina which they collect, and they are armed with a straight 



THE DRONE. 17 

Bting. Upon them devolves the whole labor of the colony ; they rear 
the young, guard the entrances, elaborate the wax, collect and store 
the provision, and build the cells in which it is warehoused as well as 
those which contain the brood. 



CHAPTER VI. 




I THE DRONE. 

I The drones or males number from 300 to 600 in a family, according 

I to its strength. These make their appearance about the end of April, 

and are seldom to be seen after the middle of August, except under 

i pecuhar circumstances. They are one-third larger than the workers, 

I somewhat thicker and of a darker color ; they have shorter jaws as 

well as a shorter proboscis, and are more blunt at the tail than either 

the queen or workers ; the last ring of the body is fringed with hairs, 

extending over the tail and visible to the naked eye. They make a 

greater noise in flying, are destitute of baskets on their thighs, and 

I have no sting ; are rather shorter than the queen, but generally much 

I larger. Underneath the tail two small protuberances of a yellowish 

I color may be seen, which are regarded as the distinctive marks of 

\ their sex. In some swarms no drones are observable ; probably these 

are first swarms, which, being always led off by old queens, have no 

occasion for drones. 

We have before stated that the queen was the parent of the bee 
colony ; the working bees are the laborers who gather and store the 
5 sweets for the supply of the family, and the drones are evidently for 
the purpose of impregnating the queens. We give Huber's account 
of this discovery of the uses of the drone in a hive of bees. It also 
accords with all writers on this subject at the present day. 



18 THE DRONE. 

" Aware that the males usually leave the hive ia the warmest part 
of the day in summer, it was natural to suppose that if the queens 
were obliged to go out for fecundation, instinct would induce them to 
do so at the same time as the others. 

" At eleven in the forenoon, we placed ourselves opposite to a hive 
containing an unimpregnated queen five days old. The sun had shone 
from his rising, the air was very warm, and the males began to leave 
the hives. We then enlarged the entrance (which had been contracted 
to prevent the egress of the queens) of that selected for observation, 
and paid great attention to the bees entering and departing. The 
males appeared and immediately took flight. Soon afterwards the 
young queen came to the entrance ; at first she did not, but during a 
little time traversed the board, brushing her belly with her hind legs, 
neither workers nor males bestowing any notice on her. At last she 
took flight ; Avhen several feet from the hive she returned and ap- 
proached it as if to examine the place of her departure, perhaps judg- 
ing this precaution necessary to recognize it ; she then flew away, de- 
scribing horizontal circles twelve or fifteen feet above the earth. We 
contracted the entrance of the hive that she might not return unob- 
served, and placing ourselves in the centre of the circles described in 
her flight the more easily to follow her and witness all her motions, but 
she did not remain long in a situation favorable for our observations, 
and rapidly rose out of sight. We resumed our place before the hive ; 
and in seven minutes the young queen returned to the entrance of a 
habitation which she had left, for the first time. Having found no ex- 
ternal evidence of fecundation, we allowed her to enter. In a quarter 
of an hour she re-appeared, and after brushing herself as before, took 
flight; then returning to examine the hive, she rose so high that we 
soon lost sight of her. This second absence was much longer than 
the first, it occupied twenty-seven minutes. We now found her in a 
state very difierent from that in which she was after the former ex- 
cursion, the organs distended by a substance thick and hard, very 
much resembling the matter in the vessels of males, completely similar 
to it in color and consistence." 

There is not the least doubt in my mind as to the correctness of 
Huber's opinion on this point, but many seem to doubt it, and I have 



i ¥ii i MWiwimii i umii 



LONGEVITY OF BEES. 19 

often had the question asked me, why are so many needed in a hive 
containing one queen ; my answer to this is, that the queen in her 
flight may be sure of coming in contact with one, and not be under 
the necessity of hazarding her life by repeatedly leaving the hive. 
Nature provides bountifully for all her wants; not more so in this than 
in a thousand other instances. 



CHAPTEE VII. 

LONGEVITY OF BEES. 

The length of life allotted by the ancients to the working bee, was 
I much greater than has since been, by modern writers; as the former 
J supposed it to reach the term of from seven to ten years, but the latter 
jhave thought it not to exceed one year. Dr. Bevan, after experi- 
jmenting on the subject, has given it as his opinion, that it does not 
(exceed six or seven months. And from the attention I have paid to 
the subject, I am of the opinion that it does not much exceed that 
term; though I think that probably some may exceed that period. 
^ I find that there are many bee-keepers at the present day, that are 
jnot at all prepared to believe this statement, and do really suppose 
[that the bee generally lives several seasons. But I think that after a 
little reflection, every one must be convinced that the average life of 
the working bee does not at most exceed eight or nine months, and 
,hat a large proportion do not reach the age of six months. Let any 
•ne who doubts this put a swarm into a bee-house, or room fitted for 
ihe purpose, and of such dimensions as will prevent swarming, as 
any have done in the State of Ohio, and then let him observe their 
perations ; and he will find that as a general thing he will have as 
any bees in his colony on the first of July of the second year as he 
ill at that period in any subsequent year. The philosophy of the 
atter is simply this : The queen being the mother of the entire 
lamily, and producing all the brood, or young bees, the population of 
he colony is kept up by her ; and she being able to produce only 
-bout a given number of bees during the season, and their lives being 



20. LONGEVITY OF BEES. 

of SO short duration, a large majority of them close their existence 
before the next spring, at which time the colony is found to contain 
no more bees than it did the previous spring ; and this increase and 
decrease in numbers will continue yearly while the colony exists, and 
their numbers will remain just about the same for years. 

" Like leaves on trees, the race of bees is found 
Now green in youth, now withering on the gronnd : 
Another race the spring or fall supplies — 
They droop successive, and successive rise." 

I have known several instances where bees have been put into 
large palaces, and rooms in buildings, fitted for the purpose, where so 
much space was given that swarming has been prevented entirely, 
and the bees permitted to increase for years, to any extent in their 
power ; but in no case have they increased in numbers to exceed that 
of a good colony just previous to its throwing off a first swarm. I 
was called upon in the summer of 1851, to transfer a colony into one 
of my hives from an old hee-paJace (as they are called in Ohio). The 
bees had occupied it for fifteen years, during which time they had 
never thrown off a swarm ; and at the time I transferred them, which 
was the last of June, there were no more bees than in a colony of the 
preceding year that had not thrown off a swarm that season. 

In the month of September, 1851, I transferred a portion of a good ' 
strong colony of bees into my observatory hive, leaving the queen i 
with the remainder of the bees in the old hive. This I accompHshed 
by removing the old hive a short distance, and placing the observa- 
tory hive where it formerly stood. I had previously taken from an- 
other hive a piece of comb containing brood, and placed it in the 
observatory hive ; not for the purpose of trying the experiment of 
raising a queen from a worker egg^ but to experiment in feeding, and 
observe their operations while destitute of a queen, and also how long i 
they would exist in that situation. I will here state that I had no 
expectation of their raising a queen from the brood that I had sup- 
plied them with, as it was so far advanced in a state of maturity that i 
it afforded them no means of accomplishing that object; yet they had 
by the next morning laid the foundations of three royal cells, in the 
portions of the combs containing the youngest brood. On each of these 



mm^amsMaaiMam 



LONGEVITY OF THE QUEEN. 21 

'some half-dozen of bees were busily engaged for some forty-eight 
hours, when they were abandoned entirely, on account of the ad- 
vanced state of the brood. I had previously commenced feeding 
them, and the bees were building combs and storing them with honey, 
and worked to all appearances as well and systematically as if pos- 
sessed of a queen ; which I was sure was not the case, as I could 
, readily see every bee in the hive, and every cell, in a moment of time. 
I continued to feed them, and watch their operations closely by day 
4nd night, until I was satisfied they had a sufficient supply to last 
them as long as they would require food, as I could see from day to 
day that their numbers were diminishing; so that by the first of No- 
ivember, one half of their number at least had become extinct. The 
jremaining bees appeared as active and industrious as those occupying 
jmy other hives. They were flying briskly every pleasant day, and 
^appeared eager to improve every opportunity to labor and gather 
j'stores as those of other colonies. Their numbers were continually 
jdiminishing, and on the first of December there were not more than 
a pint or pint and a half remaining in the hive ; and by the middle of 
jthe month not a live bee remained. The cold weather probably had 
W effect in terminating their existence, as there were not a sufficient 
iquantity of bees to keep up a proper amount of heat. 
I The foregoing experiment, in connection with others made by 
jBevan, Huber, Eeaumur, and others, goes to convince me that the 
Inatural life of the working bee does not reach the term of one year, 

land that they may very properly be termed an insect of a season. 

■I 

] LONGEVITY OF THE QUEEN. 

* The fife of the queen bee has been ascertained to be of much longer 
'Juration than that of the worker. This is a wise provision of the 
3-reat Euler of all events, for if the life of the queen was as brief as 
ihat of the working bee, the whole race would be liable to soon be- 
iome extinct. 

The experiments and observations of Huber, Bevan, Dunbar, Gold- 

Jng and Eocca, and of several American apiarians on this point, are 

efficient and ample to settle this question. Though no one has ever 

pretended to be definite as to the exact length of her life, all admit 



22 THE APIARY. 

that she generally sees several generations of her subjects pass away 
before she quits the stage herself. Huber was of opinion that her life 
extended in many instances to a period of from four to jEive years ; 
though he speaks positively only of its extending to two years. 

In numerous instances, when she has been marked so as to be iden- 
tified, she has been traced from swarm to swarm for a period of three 
or four years. 

The life of the drone does not exceed four or five months, if left to 
die a natural death ; but their lives are generally cut off by violence 
of the workers at a much shorter period than this. 



CHAPTEE YIII. 



THE APIARY. 



Much more depends upon the location of the apiary than most bee- 
keepers appear to imagine, and even among those who have a preference 
there are different opinions on the subject. A majority, however I 
am inclined to think, are in favor of a southern aspect ; but I think 
there are no good reasons for such conclusions, other things being 
equal. I always prefer an eastern aspect, or one bearing a little south 
of east, as this gives the bees the influence of the sun in the morning, or 
fore part of the day, when it is beneficial to them, and during the middle 
of the day it will not be as oppressive as when the hives are fronting the 
south. Whatever the aspect may be, the hives should never be exposed 
to the rays of the sun during the middle of the day, excepting in April 
and May. The apiary should be protected on the north and west by 
buildings, or trees, or a high fence or shrubbery, to afford the bees a 
protection from wind and rain, when they are driven home during 
the season by sudden showers accompanied by high winds. The hives ' 
however, should not stand so near the trees or buildings as to be ex- 
posed to their drippings, or so near a fence as to prevent a passage be- 
tween the hives and fence. It is also desirable that the apiary be lo- ' 
Gated near the residence of the apiarian, where it will be easy of ac- 
cess, and in view, or near, the kitchen garden or yard. It however ' 



MORNING SUN BENEFICIAL — OUT-DOOR APIARY. 23 

,^ should not be near any thoroughfare travelled by horses, as during 
^yra,Ym weather, when horses are in a state of jDerspiration, they are 
.very offensive to the bees. Hens and ducks sometimes are very de- 
structive on bees. I have known them to lie about the apiary, and 
^every bee that came in their reach was sure to fall a victim to them. 

INFLUENCE OF THE MORNING SUN BENEFICIAL. 
Many bee-keepers do not appear to consider that the morning sun 
bas any beneficial effects upon the labors of the bees. I have in nu- 
merous instances seen apiaries located on the north and west side of 
buildings and trees, where the sun would not shine upon them until 
the latter part of the day. This I consider decidedly injurious to the 
prosperity of the bees, and any one that doubts it let him try the ex- 
periment, and set one hive on the east side of a fence or building, and 
pne on the north or west side, and see which will commence their 
labors first in the morning ; the result will be, that the bees in the 
hive that the sun will shine upon at its rising, will usually commence 
"work at least one hour earlier than those standing in the shade. Durino- 
■the middle of the day, the sun beating in all its power and heat upon 
^he hives not only does them no good, but does them injury, as it is 
^ften so oppressive to the bees, as to cause them to nearly suspend 
iheir labors in the hive, and cluster outside, and in many instances 
|nelts down the combs, and often ruins the family. I want the sun 
to shine upon my hives in the morning, until about ten o'clock ; after 
jhat I consider it does them no good. Therefore, if possible, let the 
lee-house (if it be an open one) stand fronting east, or nearly ; if it hear 
k little to the south of east it wiW he full as well, and let the roof or 
^;overing be so constructed as to form a shade for the hives during 
}he middle of the day, or after ten o'clock in the morning. 

OUT-DOOR APIARY. 

If the apiary be an out-door one, and the hives occupy single stands, 
Ihey should be protected from storms, and the rays of the sun, by a 
•oof of some kind, about three feet square ; this should be supported 

few inches above the hive by four posts set in the ground, sufficient 
jo prevent it from being blown down ; the rear post should be a few 
Inches shorter than the front ones, so as to give the roof a little pitch 



24 OUT-DOOR APIARY. 

to the west. No shrubbery, weeds, or high grass should be permit- 
ted to grow about the hives, as these aflford a harbor for spiders and 
other insects. 

I have noticed that some bee-keepers set their hives on the top of 
posts some four or five feet high, without the least form of shelter over 
them. In this situation the bees are exposed to all the changes of I 
the weather, during summer and winter ; so also are the hives, and 
the sun and storms will soon crack and warp them, and render them 
unfit for further use. 

It is a very commo.n practice for bee-keepers, in locating an out- 1 
door apiary, to place it by the side of a /ence or building, not allowing 
space to pass between the rear of the hives and fence or building ; 
this I consider bad pohcy : 1st, because it does not afford as good a 
circulation of air about the hives as if they stood some two or three' 
feet from the building. 

2d. It does not afford as good opportunity to examine the hives as 
would be if they could be approached from the rear. 

3d, Weeds and shrubbery are more likely to be suffered to grow up,! 
around the hive in such locations than when in the yard, clear of a fence. 

Great care should be taken to secure the hives against being blown 
over by high winds ; different means have been resorted to to prevent j' 
this. All hives should be secured in some way, if nothing more than a 
stone is placed upon the top of them. 

When several hives are placed on one bench, either in an open bee- 
house or out, there should be at least one foot space between the 
hives, and a division board from four to six inches wide set up edge- 
wise to prevent the bees from mixing up when clustering out. I have 
known instances, where the hives of late swarms have stood near each 
other, and the bees have all left one hive and joined their neighbors 
of their own accord. This I consider no loss when the swarms are 
weak, but rather an advantage ; but with old stock hives it would be 
different, as they would be very liable to quarrel, especially if the bees 
should attempt to enter the domicil of their neighbors. Still I have 
known instances when the bees in adjoining hives have spread out 
and clustered together for weeks, and appeared to agree as well as if 
they had been one family. 



CHAPTER IX. 

HIVES. 

The good or ill success in the culture of the Honey Bee, in my 
opinion, depends very much upon the size and form of the hive used. 
But various are the opinions of apiarians on this subject. Hives 
or boxes of almost every imaginable shape and size have been 
used, and each had its advocates. Many vague and false theories 
have been advanced, and each of these has found supporters for a 
season at least ; and it appears, upon looking back upon the history of 
Bee-Hives for the last twenty years, that the greater the humbug the 
greater the success with which they have been palmed off upon the 
unwary and too confiding bee-keepers of our country ; and if the 
question were asked, why have the venders of these worthless bee- 
hives met with such universal success in disposing of their worthless 
impositions, the only true and correct answer must be, because bee- 
keepers have generally paid so little attention to the subject, that they 
have not been prepared to judge correctly between a good article 
and a poor one. Within the last few years I have conversed with 
hundreds of bee-keepers, who have kept bees (or tried to, as they say) 
for a period varying from ten to forty years, and I think I may safely 
state that full one-half of this number know no more about the natural 
habits and wants of the bee, than if they had never been engaged in 
the business in any way or shape. Some have kept them in the old 
common box hive, and have never devoted one moment's thought or 
study as to their habits or wants. As their "fathers did, so do they;" 
and whenever they obtained any honey, it has been at the expense 
of the lives of the bees that gathered it ; and they have considered it 
as indispensable to destroy them to obtain their honey, as it would 
be to kill a horse to obtain his skin ; and I seriously consider the 
cases just about parallel, and that it is about as good economy to kill 
a good horse for his skin, or cut down a good fruit tree to obtain its 
fruit, as to murder a good colony of bees to obtain their honey. 

Others have been actuated by motives more humane, and have 
manifested a desire to keep pace with the progress of the age, and 
2 25 



26 HIVES. 

have been anxious to adopt some mode by which, if possible, they 
might preserve the lives of these industrious and most interesting 
little creatures, and at the same time procure a much purer article of 
honey ; but being, as before stated, unacquainted with the wants and 
natural habits of the bee, they have been easily made the dupes of 
designing men, and in many instances have nearly or quite annihi- 
lated their entire stock of bees, and consequently have become dis- 
couraged with all patented bee-hives. Not a few, however, have 
persevered, and, not wilHng to abandon it, have made the second, and 
some the third and even the fourth trial, with as many different 
hives, and with but little better success than at first. 

Hence it is not at all surprising that many have become prejudiced 
against all patented hives; for it is an old adage that ''a burnt child 
dreads the fire;" so with those who have not only paid out their 
money for hives that were of no value, but have in many instances 
lost their bees besides. 

I, however, am of opinion, that much of the bad success in keeping 
bees in any and every form of hive, is owing to bad management. 
For we frequently find a person that has good success, let him use 
what hives he may, while his neighbor cannot keep them in any form 
of hive ; and we also hear the former crowing or boasting over his suc- 
cess with the old hive, and will point at the latter, who has, from his 
poor success in the common hive, been constrained to purchase a 
patent hive, to see if he could not succeed with it better, but owing 
to mismanagement has failed in this also ; and it is all laid to the 
hive ; and the former will tell him that the old common hive, after all, 
is far better than any patented hive that was ever invented ; that it 
is more natural to the bee ; that bees must swarm in order to prosper, 
&c. &c. 

I for one do not think that because a hive is patented it is either 
the better or the worse for it ; but that its merits or demerits depend 
upon other considerations. Neither do I think that the old common 
hive is better adapted to the wants of the bee than any other hive ; 
for certainly they are defective in many respects, as I have previously 
stated. I admit, and contend, that any hive calculated to change the 
natural instinct of the bee, is useless. But from experience I have 



HIVES. 27 

become satisfied that a hive can be made that will not interfere with 
their natural instinct, and at the same time far better adapted to their 
wants at all times, and also much more convenient for the bee-master 
to manage than any of the common hives now in use. 

But, as I have previously stated, the good or ill success attendant 
on any hive, depends in a good degree on the care and attention paid 
them while occupied by the bees ; for while, with judicious and care- 
ful management, bees will in many instances thrive and afford a good 
supply of honey in almost any form of hive ; so in the reverse will 
they, if occupying the best hive ever invented by man, if neglected 
or improperly managed, in many instances fail to remunerate their 
keeper to any reasonable extent, and not unfrequently, for want of 
a little attention and care, fall victims to moths, robbers, or some other 
enemy. Hence no person should ever engage in the culture of the 
bee with hopes of success, unless he expects to bestow some care and 
attention upon them in summer and fall, and in winter and spring. 

As in agricultural and mechanical pursuits, so in the culture of the 
honey-bee ; much that is valuable to the bee-keeper may be learned from 
the experience of others. And notwithstanding bee-keepers vary so ma- 
terially on some points, there are others on which a majority agree ; and 
if a person will take the trouble to read and compare the opinions of dif- 
ferent authors, and study and observe the operations of his bees, he may 
soon be able to decide what mode of management to adopt in order 
to insure success, and make the business both profitable and interest- 
ing. But in order to do this, he must have some form of hive dilTer- 
ent from the old hive, that affords no means of observing their opera- 
tions or studying thair habits and wants. 

All admit that too much or too little room is injurious to the wel- 
fare of the bees, and that the nearer the hive corresponds in size to 
the actual wants of the colony, at all times and seasons of the year, 
the more prosperous they will prove — and for the following reasons, 
viz. : — 

1st. The less unoccupied room there is in a hive, the less danger 
there will always be from the attacks of moths. 

2d. That a large and populous family of bees do actually need more 
Toom than a small one. 



28 HIVES. 

3d. That a swarm of bees do not require as much room the first 
season as they do the second and after years. 

4th. That a family of bees do require more room during the sum- 
mer season than in winter. 

5th. That a colony of bees, when supplied with ample room for all 
to labor to advantage, will produce a much larger amount of honey 
than when crowded so as to compel large numbers of them to leave 
the interior of the hive, and cluster and idle away their time on the 

outside, 

6th. That a colony of bees will not often continue vigorous and 
healthy, if permitted to occupy and breed in the same combs for a pe- 
riod of more than three or four years, and that by the removal of the 
old combs (if done in a suitable manner) the colony may be kept in a 
healthy state for any number of years. 

7th. That all hives should possess some convenient means for taking 
the surplus honey without disturbing or injuring the bees. 

8th. That it is not only desirable, but absolutely necessary, for the 
successful culture of the honey-bee, that the hive afford some conve- 
nient and safe arrangement for feeding, as it often becomes necessary 
not only to feed late and weak swarms, but that even strong and popu- 
lous colonies often require feeding, during a cold and backward spring, 
to prevent them from starving. 

9th. It is desirable also that a hive afford facilities for observing the 
operations of the bees, and ascertaining the amount of honey in store, 
and the strength and condition of the colony at all seasons. 

10th. It is a consideration of much importance also, that hives 
should be so constructed as to render the distance that the bees have 
to travel to deposit their stores, after entering the hive, as short as 
possible to all parts, as this will save them much time and labor, and 
as the honey season is usually short, every facility should be afforded 
them to improve it to the best possible advantage. 

11th. That it is also necessary that the bees, in order to be healthy, 
must be supplied with a good degree of ventilation. 

I say all are ready to admit that the foregoing requisites are both 
desirable and necessary. 

But when we come to consider the form and size of bee-hives, or 



HIVES. 29 

the form and size best adapted to the natural habits and wants of the 
bee, we find almost as many different opinions on the subject as there 
are persons engaged in keeping t)ees. Some are in favor of large 
hives, others of small ones. A. has his laiye hive for large swarms, and 
Bmall hives for small ones. B. contends that all should be of the same 
size and form under all circumstances. C. prefers the storifying plan. 
D. the collateral hiving. And an almost endless variety of forms and 
sizes might be named, and each has its advocates. That persons 
should disagree in regard to the peculiar form that hives should be 
constructed, is not a matter of surprise ; or that there should exist a 
diversity of opinion, as to the size best suited to the actual wants of 
the honey-bee, so long as different colonies vary so much in the 
amount of honey they produce, and locahties and seasons affect them 
so materially as they do here in the United States. But that prac- 
tical bee-keepers, who have paid a good degree of attention to the 
subject, should insist that " every bee-hive in the United States 
should be of one exact size and shape," under all circumstances and 
all cases, and that no "additional room should be given " in any case, 
is in my opinion taking ground that it will be diflficulfc to defend by 
sound argument, to say the least. 

For it is a fact, admitted by all apiarians, " that some queens are 
more fertile, and will produce a much larger amount of brood during 
a season than others, and that even the same queens will produce 
more bees in some seasons than in others, and consequently the popu- 
lation of the family will vary as the queen is affected by seasons and 
circumstances, and as a matter of course their wants, as regards amount 
of room, will vary as their numbers increase or diminish. It is also a 
fact that some colonies will store double the amount of honey during the 
season that others will, provided they have room afforded to accommo- 
date them. Now this being the case with each and every colony of bees, 
does it not appear both proper and necessary that hives should be so 
constructed as to afford means to increase or diminish the amount of 
room to accommodate the wants of the family, both at different seasons 
of the year, and also in different seasons ; for as has been mentioned, 
it will enable the bees to gather more honey, and afford small colonies 
better protection against the moth, than hives that are so constructed 



80 BEE-HIVES. 

that you Lave just such an amount of room, with no suitable means 
to increase or diminish it, to meet the wants of the bees. It is often 
the case that bees will not swarm at all, (notwithstanding many ap- 
pear to think that it is so natural for them to do so,) but will cluster 
in large quantities on the outside of the hive for weeks in succession, 
and idle away their time when they would be busily engaged in stor- 
ing honev. if in hives that would afford them suitable room to store 
it in. 

BEE-HIVES. 

It would not only be useless, but impossible for me, in this little 
treatise, to attempt to give a description of one half of the bee-hives 
that have been invented during the last twenty years, a number of 
which were never worth the powder it would take to blow them up ; 
most of which have, however, exploded without the expense of 
powder. 

I have thought, however, that it might not be altogether out of 
place here to notice some of the many that have been brought into 
general use, and state my opinions briefly as to their good or bad 
qualities, according as I view them. It is evident, I think, th^t many 
of these hives were never tested by their inventors, or by others, be- 
fore they were brought before the public ; had they been, I think 
their inventors would not have had the hardihood to humbug the 
community to the extent they have done. Many of the patented 
hives, however, have possessed some good quahties; but they 
generally have been encumbered or surrounded by some useless con- 
trivance, that overbalanced all the advantages they possessed. Others, 
in endeavoring to remedy one difficulty, have instituted others still 
worse, if possible. The object aimed at by most inventors, has been 
to devise some means for obtaining the honey without destroying the 
Uves of the bees. This, all will admit, is a very desirable object; 
but I candidly beheve that many of the hives that have been invented 
expressly for this object, have in the end destroyed more bees than 
they have begi the means of saving. 

Other hives have been devised expressly to prevent the depre- 
dations of the moth, and have been styled by their inventors ''moth- 



BEE-HIVES. 81 

proof;''' but like many others, when they were put to the test were 
found wanting. And I will here state, that I consider it an utter im- 
possibility to construct a hive that will perfectly exclude the moth in 
every instance, and admit bees into it; for certainly a moth can enter 
where a bee cannot.' And now, reader, whenever you meet with a 
person that has a moth-proof hive to sell, you just set him down as 
an unwise man, or a dishonest one : for if he flatters himself that his 
hive is moth-proof he is badly hored^ to say the least; and if he has 
sense enough to teach him that it is not moth-proof he is a dishonest 
person in endeavoring to dispose of it as such. 

I, however, am confident, that some hives afford the bees far better 
protection against moths, and other enemies, than others, and also 
better facilities for destroying them after they have gained an entrance 
into the hive. Hives composed of boxes or sections with bottoms 
attached firmly, I consider unfit for bees, as they afford the keeper no 
means to clean the floors of the hives. I believe that every section 
used for breeding, and composing the main body of the hive, should 
be open at the bottom, so as to let everything, such as dead bees, filth, 
moths, and the like, fall free from the combs on to the floor of the 
hive ; and the floor so attached as to admit of its being cleaned off 
at pleasure, without disturbing the bees. 

Several hives have been invented with inclined-plane bottoms, to 
enable the bees to clear them more readily of moths, dead bees, &c. 
But I think there has been nothing gained by this in the end, but 
that it has proved an injury : for in attaching the bottoms in the 
manner that it has generally been done, leaving an open space the 
whole width of the hive (and in the double inclined bottoms on two 
sides), which affords the miller just as good an opportunity to enter as 
Bhe could desire ; for during fall and spring the hives are not usually 
filled to the bottoms with bees, and during the night the cool damp air 
will drive the bees from the entrance, and leave it entirely unguarded, 
when the miller has a free unmolested entrance into the hive, where 
Bhe may deposit her eggs in the wax about the bottom and joints of 
the hive ; and when disturbed by the bees on the following morning, 
will leave the hive and secrete herself in some crevice about it, and 
there remain until evening, when she is ready to pay the hive another 



32 weeks' veemoxt hive. 

visit. I find that the smaller the aperture for the entrance of the 
bees, the less hable the moths are to enter, and especially if they are 
compelled to enter directly in among the bees. Every bee-keeper 
knows that -when a hive is crowded with bees there is but httie 
danger of moths troubling them; but let the colony be reduced in 
numbers so as to not more than half fill the hive, leaving a large 
portion of the combs unprotected by the bees, and if the moths do 
not find their way to them it will be something unusual. I have 
found also there is no better protection against the moth than full 
hives. Even if the swarm be small and weak, if it fill the space it 
occupies, they will defend themselves against moths, especially if the 
entrance into the hive be small. But put a small swarm into a large 
hive, and leave it open all around the bottom, and every bee-keeper 
knows what to expect generally ; and if the moths do not take pos- 
session of the whole concern in a short time, he is disappointed, and 
considers himself very fortunate indeed. 

As I am firequently asked the question (by persons engaged or in- 
terested in keeping bees), whether I ever saw this, that, and the other 
patent hive of which they have heard, but have never seen, I have 
thought that it might probably interest some to insert a few cuts 
showing the form of difierent hives that are in use in various parts 
of our country, and accompany each with a few remarks in explana- 
tion of them. 

weeks' yermoxt hive. 

Mr. "Weeks, the inventor of this hive, has paid a good deal of atten- 
tion to the culture of the honey bee, and has pubhshed a small work 
on the subject. This is a chamber hive, aSbrding room for two boxes 
for surplus honey, of about twelve pounds eacL The reason for 
having the rear inchne, as stated by Mr. "Weeks, is to prevent the combs 
fi:om falling or breaking down, and the inclined bottom, to enable the 
bees to carry out the moth and dead bees more easily; but as I have 
stated, it affords the millers too firee access into the hive. The bottom 
is usually attached by wire hooks, leaving an open space on every 
side of the hive. 

This hive has been introduced very extensively in several States, 



STORIFYING AND SUBTENDED HIVES. 83 

and has generally given as good satisfaction as most hives, and far 
better than some that I might name. But like a majority of the 
hives that are novir in use, both patented and those that are not, it is 
defective in the amount of room it affords the colony, as it is an en- 
tire hive, and whether the colony is a strong or weak one, you have 
so much room, and can give them no more nor no less ; hence I con- 
sider it far from being what is wanted, in order to secure the greatest 
profit from the culture of the bee. This is my candid opinion, and 
I think I shall be able to prove to every unprejudiced mind, that I am 
correct. It is also defective, like most others, as it affords no convenient 
means for feeding, or removing the old combs, both of which are very 
necessary requisites, that every hive should possess, for it often becomes 
necessary to feed bees to preserve their lives, and there are various 
reasons why bees will prosper better while occupying new combs 
than in old ones. 

STORIFYING AND SUBTENDED HIVES. 

Subtended hives of various forms have been used to a considerable 
extent in different sections of our country, and many bee-keepers at 
first were highly pleased with them, but after using them awhile 
changed their opinion. 

The advantages claimed by the inventors of these hives are, that 
the surplus honey may be taken from them without destroying the 
bees, and also the old combs may be removed, and the bees permit- 
ted to construct new ones in their stead. 

Both of these objects are desirable, and various plans have been 
adopted to accomplish them. But the main objections to these hives, 
I beheve, are, that they afford but a small amount of pure honey fit 
for market, and the boxes being so large, (containing generally from 
twenty-five to forty pounds,) are not ready to be removed until late 
in the season, on account of their containing young bees and brood. 
There is frequently, also, more or less bee-bread in these large sections, 
while the small boxes in the chambers of the hive scarcely ever con- 
tain a cell of either bee-bread or brood, and they may often be taken 
filled with pure honey as early as June, and will sell in market for 
one third more per lb. than that in the large boxes. The bees are 

2* 



84 STORIFYING AND SUBTENDED HIVES. 

hived in one box, and if it is a swarm of usual size, it is set on the top 
of another one, and when both are filled another box is added. 

The boxes composing this hive are generally eleven or twelve 
inches square in the clear, and eight or nine inches deep. There are 
different sizes and forms, however, combining the same principle, but 
are managed differently by different persons : some super* them, 
while others nadirf them ; the former mode generally produces the 
purest honey, as the queen is not as liable to ascend into the supers, 
and deposit eggs there, as she is to descend into the box below. In 
both cases, however, much depends upon the strength or population 
of the colony : if it is a weak swarm, she will not be liable to go 
into either ; if a strong one, she will sometimes do so. The com- 
munication from one box to the other through the top is often made 
by boring from three to five auger holes at different points, and 
sometimes a hole three or four inches square is cut, and a shde fitted 
to cut off communication at pleasure. The door in the front of each 
box opens to observe through a pane of glass the operations of the 
bees, and the amount of honey they have in store. In my opin- 
ion, it would be better if this door was in the rear of the hive, as 
it would then afford the keeper an opportunity to approach it with 
much less exposure to the bees, but where the hives are placed 
against a fence or building it could not be done ; though this I would 
never recommend, as it usually affords a harbor for moths, spiders, 
ants, and other insects, and the apiarian has not as good an opportu- 
nity to destroy them as if he could have access on both sides of the 
hives. 

Hives also with supers, capable of containing from twenty to forty 
pounds of honey, have been used in many parts of the United States 
with tolerable good success, and I consider them far preferable to the 
common hive. But the bees will not as readily enter these supers 
and commence their labors (unless guide-combs are placed in them) 
as they will smaller boxes, and when they do commence the queen is 
more liable to ascend and deposit eggs there than in smaller boxes, 
especially if the colony is a strong and populous one. 

* Supering is placing the empty box above the stock, 
t Nadiring under the stock. 



bevan's ceoss-bar hive. 



35 




bevan's cross-bar hiye. 

The above is a representation of Dr. Bevan's cross-bar hive. The 
object of the bars arranged across the top (as seen in the cut) are to 
guide the bees in constructing their combs, that they may be more 
uniform, and. afford a greater amount of brood-combs, than when left 
to their own. natural habits. The centre bars are placed at suitable 
distance for brood-combs, are one half inch thick, and one and an 
eighth inch wide. The sides of the boxes are rabbeted at the top 
half their thickness, and half an inch deep to receive the bars. The 
boxes or hives are eleven and five-eighths inches square, and nine 
inches deep in the clear, afifording space for seven bars. Dr. Bevan 
says, " that if the distance of the bars from each other be nicely ad- 
justed, there will be interspaces between them of about half an inch. 
The precise width of the bars should be particularly attended to, and 
also their distances from each other, as any deviation in this respect 
would throw the combs wrong, particularly if that deviation gave an 
access of room. It would be better, therefore, for them to be some- 
' what within the rule than to exceed it by ever so little, for whenever 
the bees evince a disposition to depart from the prescribed dimensions, 
I its tendency is generally to make the combs approximate. This has 
: induced me to have my boxes surmounted by bars varying a little in 
i their relative distance ; thus, the three centre bars are placed at the 
distance of only seven-sixteenths of an inch from each other, while 
the rest gradually recede from that distance, so that the two last in- 
j terspaces on either side of the box are nine- sixteenths of an inch in 
^ width. The same precision must be observed in the length of the 
i bars, as it is of great importance to have them indiscriminately 
applicable to every box, and in case the joiner should exceed the spe- 



36 COLLATERAL HIVES. 

cified dimensions of a box, the extra space must be thrown to its 
sides. At the back of each box a pane of glass should be fixed in a 
small rabbet, which may be covered with a half-inch door, hung with 
wire hinges, and fastened by a button. This rabbet should be as 
shallow as possible, or the bees will be apt to occupy it with a thin 
comb." After adjusting the bars a top is fitted to the hive with 
auger holes, or a hole cut three or four inches square, to admit the 
bees into a super if desired ; the top is secured by screws, so as to be 
removed at pleasure. 

COLLATERAL HIVES. 

Collateral Hives have never been used to any great extent in this 
country. Mr. Nutt, a resident of England, (I think,) and a gentleman 
that has paid a good deal of attention to bee-keeping, is very much in 
favor of this system. But Dr. Bevan, Mr. Dunbar, and others, do not 
consider it the best hive in use by any means. 

Jones' Multiplying and Dividing Hive is a little similar to this hive 
of Mr. Nutt's in its construction, though not like it, as Mr. ISTutt's hive 
has no chamber for small boxes, while Jones' has. The adjoining 
sides are different also ; those of Mr. Nutt's are composed of half-inch 
boards, with two or three horizontal openings for communications, 
while those of Jones' hive are composed of cross-bars, some two inches 
wide, and about the same distance apart, affording a freer communi- 
cation between the boxes. A large number of Jones' hives were dis- 
posed of in the State of Ohio, some five years since, and many bee- 
keepers lost nearly every family of bees they put into them. They 
followed the directions given by the agent, and divided their stock 
several times during the season, and before the next spring nearly 
every bee was dead. By dividing so often, the families were small and 
weak, and the moths destroyed most of them before winter, and the 
remainder generally died with hunger during winter. 

The hives of Mr. Nutt are not intended for increasing or multiply- 
ing the stocks, but to obtain honey. This I do not consider a very 
profitable way of managing bees, for I believe there is as much to be 
realized from the kicrease of famiUes, as there is from the honey they 
produce, though there are persons so situated that they prefer not to in- 



COLLATERAL HIVES. 



87 



crease their number of hives, but keep a colony or two, just for the plea- 
sure of it, and obtain what honey they consume in their own families. 





NUTT'S COLLATERAL HIVE. 

The annexed cut is a view of the boxes joined together on the stand, 
as used generally ; they are held together at the rear by butts, and in 
'front by a hook and staple made of wire. The lower cut represents a 
frame- work for the hives to stand upon, instead of a board. 

The boxes are usually ten or eleven inches square in the clear, and 
eight or nine inches high, with a pane of glass in each, covered by a 
door, hinged and buttoned, as seen in the engraving. 

One of the boxes is kept as the permanent residence of the family, 
and is not disturbed. The other is removed as often as filled, and an 
empty one set in the place of it. 

Dr. Bevan says, in the first place, the honey obtained by this sys- 
tem is not as pure as that produced by supering ; and, secondly, that 
the harvest of honey they afford is by no means so abundant. 

My hive is a combination of the collateral and storifying, or super- 
ing, united, and combines all the advantages of both these systems^ 



88 miner's equilateral cross-bar hive. 

while-it remedies their defects. It also combines several other impor- 
tant principles — placing the bees completely under the observation 
and control of the keeper, in all their various operations. 

miner's equilateral cross-bar hive. 

I am frequently asked the question if I have ever seen this hive of 
which Mr. M. is making so much ado about ; and as I think it will 
pobably gratify the curiosity of some, I will endeavor to give a fair 
and correct description of it, which I think I can do in a very few 
words. 

The hive is equilateral^ (signifying of equal dimensions on all its 
sides ) The main body of the hive is twelve inches square in the 
clear, and is surmounted with a super for obtaining surplus honey. 

The great advantages Mr. M, claims for this hive over all others are, 
first, its simplicity ; second, the advantages of the cross-bars. These 
cross-bars (as Mr. Bevan terms them in his hive) are to guide the 
bees in the construction of their combs, that they may be parallel, and 
more uniform in their thickness, afifording a greater amount of brood- 
combs. Mr. M. contends, that if the bees are left to their own judg- 
ment and instinct in their comb-building, they will unwisely construct 
them in all manne;r of zig-zag forms and thickness, without regard to 
the wants of their queen, and the welfare of the family, and the con- 
sequence will be that there will be but a small amount of combs con- 
structed suitable for the queen to deposit her eggs in, and she wil^ 
therefore be curtailed in her laying, and hence, not as many young 
bees will be produced, as if she were supplied with combs suited to 
her wants. According to this reasoning, it would appear, that unlike 
all other productions of the Great Architect, the bee came forth from 
its Maker imperfect in its instinct and habits, and is dependent on man 
to guide and direct her in her various operations. But it is evident, 
I think, from the course she has pursued since her creation to the pre- 
sent time, that she does not necessarily need the wisdom of man to 
direct and guide her in the constructions of her combs, or in any of 
the various avocations of the hive. 

Mr. AI., however, in his Manual, admits, (or says) that ^'■not all the 
art and genius of man can teach 7i*?' one jot or Utile of knowledge ^ " Nor 



minee's equilateral cross-bar hive. 89 

does she need man's wisdom," and that she ^^ stands forth perfect in 
every worh."" And I agree with him, and verily beheve that she is 
fully competent (if put into suitable hives) to go on and construct just 
such combs as instinct teaches her are best adapted to her wants, (and I 
think I have heard it said that ^'■instinct is never at faulty) 

Yet, after all that has been said, I think that if some plan could be 
adopted (and it can) that would induce the bees to build their combs 
more uniformly and straight, it would be no injury to the prosperity 
of the colony, but an advantage, in some respects. But that the whole 
success of bee-keeping depends upon the bees building their combs 
^^ parallel, and tmiform,^' and that they will not do this without having 
cross-har hives to do it in, I think is carrying the joke a little too far, 
for we all know that bees have prospered and done well when taken 
care of, without these fixtures. I am convinced, however, that the 
better accommodations the bees are supplied with, the more profitable 
and prosperous they will prove. But that everything depends upon 
one little item, (and this something new,) I do not beheve. Others may 
form their opinion, and act accordingly. 

The bars to this hive are attached similar to those in Dr. Sevan's, 
which has already been described. Mr. M., I understand, besmears 
the under edges of the bars with melted wax, which induces the bees 
to follow them in constructing their combs. He also uses a plate or 
sheet of thick paper with portions of it cut out the thickness of the 
combs, and the distance apart the combs are required. This he lays 
on the inside of the top the same as a miller brands his barrels, or a 
merchant boxes of goods, and then with a sponge or brush dipped in 
melted bees-wax, he puts on the wax where it is desired to have the 
bees attach their combs. 

In cutting the guide-plate, it will be necessary to be very particular 
to lay off the distances between the combs where they will be needed. 
The outside space should be left a little broader than the others, un- 
less the hive is of suitable size to have all the spaces equal. The best 
way is to commence at the middle of the plate to lay off the spaces, 
] and if there is any surplus room throw it at the outside of the hive, for 
the bees generally build these combs thicker than the centre ones, and 
use them for storing honey. 



40 FOEMATION OF SWARMS. 

The spaces cut out for the combs should be a trifle over three-fourths 
of an inch, as near four-fifths as possible, and the bars left in the plate 
which is the space between the combs three-eighths of an inch. These 
I believe, are all the peculiarities that this hive possesses. It is got 
up in an ornamental style, and makes a better appearance than the 
common hive, though any chamber hive may be ornamented as well 
as this, and make just as good appearance. Mr. M. thinks that it is 
superior to any other hive, and better adapted to the wants of the bee, 
both in size and shape. But bee-keepers do not agree on this any 
more than on other points. I am confident that some colonies require 
a larger amount of room than others, and that if it is aS'orded them, 
and is easy of access, they will produce more honey than if they were 
compelled for want of room to cluster on the outside of the hive. This 
hive I consider defective on this point, the same as every other hive 
of this form. It affords the bees just such an amount of room whether 
there be many or few, with no means to increase or diminish it to cor- 
respond to then* actual wants. 



CHAPTEE X. 

FORATATIOX OF SWAEMS. 

The season of swarming is one of excitement and interest to the 
apiarian. And the causes that tend to produce this result may be 
considered various, and much veHed in mystery; for while one cause 
appears to have a mark:ed effect on one colony in hurrying off a swarm, 
the same cause does not appear to influence another colony in the 
least The crowded state of the hives, together with hot and sul- 
try weather, are generaUy considered symptoms of swarming. Yet 
both of these combined often fail to produce the result anticipated; 
for it is weU known that bees wiU cluster out m large quantities,' 
sometimes for weeks, during the swarming season, and not swarm at 



FORMATION OF SWARMS. 41 

all ; while, on the other hand, they will in some instances swarm, not- 
withstanding room be given them far exceeding their wants (though 
these instances are rare). I am knowing of one particular instance of 
a colony that occupied a bee-house for twelve years, without swarm- 
ing, but on the thirteenth threw off a swarm. 

Some apiarians consider it natural for bees to swarm, and that any 
device or arrangement tending to prevent this, is ruinous to the bees ; 
and consequently they condemn all non-swarming hives, without 
judge or jury. That it is natural for bees to swarm, without regard 
to causes, I am not prepared to admit. They appear to me to be 
governed more by instinct and reason, or by instincUve reason; for if 
a swarm be put into a large box or room, aflbrding a large supply of 
surplus room, we find that, in nineteen cases out of twenty, they will 
not swarm for years, although every means is afforded them to swarm 
that there would be if in a hive one foot square. Now they have a 
very good reason for not swarming, viz., they have all the room 
necessary, and that is all they desire. But put a swarm into a hive 
one foot square, and the result will be very unlike the other; for in 
the latter case, in all probability, the colony will throw off a swarm 
every season; and the reaso?^ is a good one : the hive did not afford 
sufficient room to accommodate the whole population, hence the ne- 
cessity of a portion of the family emigrating. But as previously stated, 
there are extreme cases, when neither of the above causes, and others 
combined, are sufficient to produce the result. 

Notwithstanding what has already been said on the subject, it 
is evident, I think, that the prime or moving cause of emigration 
is, the crowded state of the hive, produced by the wonderful fruit- 
fulness of the queen. There are other causes, however, that are 
subservient to this, and are made to operate in favor of the desired re- 
sults. The amount of brood produced by a single queen during a season 
is almost incredible; for. if we examine a stock hive on the first of 
February, it will be found generally to contain not more than three 
or four thousand bees (and often less) ; yet this same hive will, during 
the month of June, throw off a swarm containing in numbers from 
twelve thousand to twenty-five thousand, and in some instances to 
even thirty thousand, and not unfrequently will a second swarm issue 



42 FORMATION OF SWARMS. 

of some eight thousand or ten thousand more, still leaving a popula- 
tion in the hive, on the first of September, of double the number it 
contained on the first of February. 

Now, supposing they throw off but one swarm, and that should 
contain twenty thousand bees; and the addition to the old stock 
amounts to four thousand more, making an increase of twenty-four 
thousand in five months, this would make the average number per 
day about one hundred and sixty ; but as a much less number of eggs 
are laid in the months of February and March, than in April and 
May, it would readily appear that the queen must, during these 
months, produce some two hundred or three hundred eggs daily. 

After the queen has finished her principal laying of worker eggs, 
she increases in size and moves sluggishly, when she commences lay- 
ing drone eggs in cells prepared for their reception ; she generally lays 
drone eggs for three or four weeks. About the commencement of 
the third week the workers prepare the royal cells, from three to ten 
in number, in which the queen deposits eggs at intervals of a few 
days, so as to mature at the time they would be required, in case 
more than one swarm should issue. These young queens are never 
permitted to leave their cells, (except in extreme cases of foul weather.) 
until the first swarm has left, which in all cases is led of hy the old 
queen. If, on account of unfavorable weather, swarming is deferred 
beyond the time anticipated by the bees, the young queens are not 
permitted to emerge from their cells, but are guarded and held prisoners 
and fed by the workers until the old queen leaves with a swarm. If, 
however, the unfavorable weather should continue for several succes- 
sive days, the young queen in some instances becomes impatient, and 
will burst from her cell, when she soon falls a victim to her mother's 
wrath, for there is such a deadly hatred implanted in the mother 
queen, that she will, if permitted, eagerly devour her own offspring. 
This, I think, probably is the cause why in some instances hives that 
are filled with bees to overflowing, do not swarm. Many have enter- 
tained doubts as to the certainty of the old queen's invariably leaving 
the parent hive with first swarms. I would say to any one who doubts 
this, to examine the combs in the hive of a first swarm on the second or 
third day after it has taken possession of a hive, and they may be assured 



FORMATION OF SWARMS.' 43 

that they will invariably find eggs in them, which certainly could not 
'be the case if it was accompanied by a young queen. I have found 
eggs in the cells on the second day after the swarm entered the hive.^ 
'Or let the old colony be suffocated immediately after the first swarm 
■leaves the hive, and there can no matured queen be found. I have on 
several occasions taken the bees out of the hive on the second day 
'after a first swarm had left it, and in no case did it possess an old 
^ queen, but in every instance from one to five queens in an embryo 
-state. It is not unusual for a first swarm to produce young bees in 
'twenty-two or twenty-three days after being hived. I have myself 
had ocular demonstration of it in my own hives. In my estimate 
on the number of bees produced by a single queen during a season, I 
'have put the number higher than some authors, but I think they 
jwill be found to be very near the mark in most instances. It is true 
,that different stocks vary materially in the amount of bees pro- 
iduced during a season. Some queens will produce fully double the 
I amount that others will. I have also estimated the numbers in a first 
I swarm larger than Mr. Miner and some others. But the number re- 
'maining in the parent hive after swarming, I have put at less. I have 
.'made my estimates from observation, I have in a large number of 
I instances driven the old stock from their hive a few days after they 
; had thrown off a- swarm, and have always found that there were not 
Imore than one third as many bees remaining as had left with the 
'swarm. And I have been able to judge pretty correctly as to their 
I numbers, as in both instances the bees were in my hives, that afford- 
ed an opportunity to see what amount there was in each. 

Dr. Bevan remarks, that " the laying of drone eggs, which is called 
the great laying, usually commences at the end of April or the be- 
I ginning of May ; that there seems to be a secret relation between 
the production of these eggs, and the construction of royal cells ; for 
regularly on the 20th or 21st day, (if at all), royal cells are founded. 
Ahout the time ivJien the Jarvcc lioiclied from the eggs laid hy the quee7i, 
in the royal cells, are ready to he t7'ansfo7ined to nymphs^ {sometimes 
sooner, sometimes later, depending on circumstances,) this queen generally 
leaves the hive, conducting a swarm cdong ivith her^ 

As has been stated, a first swarm is always led off by the old 



44 FORMATION OF SWARMS. 

queen; and Huber remarks, that this is a wise provision of nature, for, 
being the strongest, she would never fail to overthrow the younger 
competitors for the throne, near which " the jealous Semiramis of tho; 
hive will bear no rival." Dr. Bevan observes, that the queen having 
finished her laying of male eggs, and her deposition of female eggs. 
in the royal cells, prior to leaving the old hive, is ready to commence 
in the new one with the laying of worker eggs ; workers being first 
needed in order to secure the continuance and prosperity of the newly- 
founded commonwealth. The bees that remain in the old hive have 
been supposed to guard with peculiar care the royal cells, in order to 
prevent the young queens, successively hatched, from leaving them, 
except at intervals of several days from each departure of a swarm, 
or at the moment of swarming. The law of primogeniture is always 
strictly observed towards these royal insects. " the first-born, or prin- 
cess royal, being always selected to assume the sovereignty over the 
new colony, or if vacant, to occupy the throne in its native home ; 
and so on with respect to the third and fourth, or whatever number ' 
may issue. Then after swarms, however, particularly the later ones, 
are often accompanied by more than one princess, several of them 
frequently obtaining their liberty at the same time, owing, in all 
probability, to the guards no longer keeping a strict watch over them, 
in consequence of the bustle of swarming. In these cases, the victo- 
rious in conflict assumes the sovereignty over the new colony." 

According to Huber, the queen ordinarily lays about twelve thousand 
eggs in two months ; one impregnation serving for the whole comple- 
ment of eggs, of every description, which she lays during two yeaxs 
at least. Reaumer states the number off eggs laid by a queen in two 
months at double the number that Huber did. Schirach says that a 
queen will lay from seventy thousand to one hundred thousand in a 
season ; and it is my opinion that some queens do produce that amount 
of eggs in a favorable season. 

The testimony of Huber, Bevan, and several other naturalists and 
apiarians, goes to prove that if the impregnation of the queen is by any 
means retarded beyond the twenty-first day of her life, instead of lay- 
ing worker and drone eggs, as is usually the case, she commences lay- 
ing drone eggs on the 45th hour, and lays no other during her hfe-time. 



CHAPTER XI. 

, SYMPTOMS PKIOR TO SWARMING. 

', Clustering on the outside of the hive is generally considered a 
] symptom of swarming; though, taken singly, it cannot be regarded 
as a very sure sign that a swarm will issue immediately ; this, how- 
' ever, indicates that there are a sufficient quantity of bees to admit of 
' a swarm's issuing ; and if attended with other symptoms, may be con- 
■j sidered as a pretty sure indication that a swarm will soon be thrown 
^ off. On the day, or day before swarming, the bees are generally less 
] active, and are not seen gathering honey and farina, as usual; and 
' those that return from the fields loaded with farina, donotimmediate- 
I ly enter the hive, as is their usual practice, but cluster outside with 
i their loads, ready to emigrate at a moment's warning. Large num- 
I bers may also be seen sporting in the air, about the hive, during the 
'j middle of the day, or from eleven to twelve o'clock ; also when drones 
i are seen in the crowd outside of the hive, this may be considered as 
j additional evidence— as a preparation on the part of the bees for emi- 
\ grating soon. Yet, with all these symptoms combined, bees will 
not unfrequently cluster in great numbers, for several weeks in suc- 
cession, and not swarm at all; for if preparation for raising a young 
sovereign has not been made, no inducement whatever will persuade 
them to emigrate. I have known of an instance where a colony have 
gone so far in making preparations for swarming, as to select a tene- 
ment in a hollow tree, and labored for several weeks in clearing it 
out, and finally did not swarm that season ; but, on the ensuing spring, 
about the tenth of May, they again were seen busily engaged in the 
same tree, making preparations, and in the latter part of the month a 
swarm was thrown off, when they proceeded directly to the tree, 
and entered it, notwithstanding water and dirt were thrown on them, 
and every effort made to prevent them from leaving the apiary. 

About the first of May, in the spring of 1851, I sold a gentleman 
one of my hives, for which I was to receive in pay two stocks of bees, 
in the old common square hive. The agreement was, that out of hia 

46 



46 



SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO SVv^ARMING. 



apiary of twelve hives^ I was to have the privilege of selecting one 
and he one. He selected, as a matter of course, the weakest and 
lightest hive in the apiary, which was a swarm of the previous year 
and had not filled the hive, (which was not a large one,) but a little 
more than half fall of combs. I selected the heaviest and most popu- 
lous stock he had, which was only two years old. very heavy and 
then overflowing with bees. I brought them home without im-ury 
and placed the hives side by side in my apiary, and by the twentieth 
of xAiay the strongest colony were clustering out in quantities sufficient 
to swarm. At this time the little swarm had not near filled their 
hive with comb or bees, but were doing as well as could be expected 
Both continued to increase in numbers; the large colony clusterinc 
nearly sufficient to completely cover the hive, and all idle-as the 
hiv^ on the first of May was filled with combs, and these pretty well 
stored with honey. On the twenty-second of June, the small 
swarm had filled their hive, and thrown off a fine swarm, Avhich I 
saved. Five days after, I drove or transferred the parent stock into 
one of my hives, at which time they had no matured queen, but three 
in their cells in an embryo state, which I placed in the new hive, with 
pieces of the brood-combs adjoining the royal brood ; these were hatch- 
ed m a few days, and the colony immediately commenced their labors, 
to all appearances as well as a swarm that had been thrown off in the 
usual way. The old colony, in the other hive, still continued to clus- 
ter out in a mass sufficient to fill a half-bushel, or nearly so. I bore 
•with them until the first week in July, when I transferred them into 
another of my hives, and on examining the old combs, not the least 
preparation had been made for raising a young queen, as no royal cells 
had even been commenced. Instances similar to the foregoino- have 
probably fallen under the observation of most every bee-keeper,\nd it 
IS not a little perplexing to the apiarian to be trifled with in this way 
day after day, and week after week, and his bees not swarm after all' 
In my hives, if the bees do not feel inchned to swarm immediately 
after they have filled two of the large boxes, I open the communica- 
tion to the third, so as to let them have sufficient room to labor to ad- 
ventage. In this way I manage to get much more honey than from 
the common hive, and without injury to the colony. 



SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO A SECOND SWARM. 47 

SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO A SECOND SWARM. 

The most distinctive symptom of a second swarm issuing, is a sin- 
^ gular noise made by the queen, called piping ; this continues gen- 
erally for two or three days and nights in succession ; it may be heard 
j at intervals at the distance of several feet from the hive, if particular at- 
j tention be paid to notice it; frequently the voices of two or more queens 
'j may be heard at the same time, though differing in tone. The follow- 
, ing extract is from Dr. Sevan's work, and is from the observations of 
^ Mr. Golding. Mr. Gr. says : " On the 7th of June a first swarm issued 
from one of his hives ; on the 14th piping commenced, two days 
I sooner than it is usually heard ; but what appeared still more singu- 
: lar, the piping was not in a clear and" plaintive, but in a short, 
j hoarse key. Nevertheless, the notes proceeded from a senior prin- 
icess; this unusual cadence being found to arise from her piping be- 
i fore she had obtained her liberty. After it had continued for two 
' days, she emerged from her cell, when the hoarse notes immediately 
j gave place to the plaintive ones. Soon afterwards another princess 
hoarsely responded ; they piped together for the usual term of three 
^ days, the notes of each being marked throughout by the usual distinc- 
j tive intonation. The first piping was manifestly premature, but it 
clearly shows the cause of different sounds that usually precede an 
after-swarm. The queen that is at liberty, when piping, stands, or 
rather squats, and exhibits a tremulous motion with her body and 
wings, the latter moving slowly in a horizontal direction ; the motion 
resembles the working of a pair of bellows with their edges held ver- 
tically. On the first day the sound wiiich she utters is rather indis- 
tinct, on the second it becomes clearer and louder; it is long and 
plaintive, particularly the starting note, and is repeated five, six, or 
more times in succession, in a clear, shrill key, but becomes shorter 
and shorter each time. The note of the imprisoned princess, which 
generally commences on the second day, is hoarse, dull, and short 
throughout." 

This piping generally commences in seven or nine days (though in 
Bome instances a few days later) after the first swarm has left the 
hive, and often continues for a period of two or three days; if the 



48 HIVING SWARMS. 

weather is favorable, a swarm may be expected on the tenth or eleventh 
day. It is but very seldom that a swarm does not issue on the third 
day after the piping commences, and in such cases a swarm may be 
expected, though the weather should not be very favorable. Unless 
this voice can be heard about the period before stated, no after-swarms , 
will issue. 

The rationale of this theory lies simply here : The first swarm gen- 
erally issues about the time the queen cells are sealed over, which 
usually occurs on the eighth day after the eggs are deposited in it ; in 
about eight days more the queen is matured, at which time piping 
generally commences, if a second swarm is to issue, and within three 
days from that time a second swarm may be expected, and occasion- 
ally when a plurality of queens mature at, or about the same time, a 
third swarm will issue in the course of three days from the second. I 
find it best to return third swarms to the parent hive ; or, in case they 
have occupied it for three or four years, I hive the new swarm in a 
suitable hive, and about sunset of the same day, I unite the old stock 
with the swarm. See chapter on Keunion of Swarms. 



CHAPTER XII. 



HIVING SWARMS. 



This branch of bee culture is generally better understood than 
many other things connected with bee-keeping. Yet, in hiving 
swarms, hardly two persons can be found that operate exactly alike 
m all respects. While some adhere to the ancient custom of ringing 
bells and drumming on pans and kettles, at the time of swarming, to 
Induce the bees to settle, others resort to no such means, and consider 
it entirely useless : and I am of opinion that it does no good at all. In 
case a swarm seem determined to go off, throwing water, or dirt, and 
gravel among them, frequently has a more favorable effect, to induce 
them to settle, than anything else. I have known of many a swarm 



PREPARATION OF HIVES FOR SWARMS. 49 

^ being arrested by this means, by persons at work in corn-fields. But 

^ when a swarm has a place of residence selected, prior to leaving the 

- parent hive, (and one wnth which they are satisfied,) it is very diffi- 

^ cult to induce them to abandon their purpose, and be contented to 

'" remain in a hive even should they be hived ; for they will occasion- 
ally leave a hive in such cases, even after remaining in it for two or 

1 three days, and constructing combs the size of a person's hand. If, 

" however, good clean hives of suitable dimensions, well ventilated, are 

^^ provided, and kept well protected from the rays of the sun at the time 

i of hiving, and for several days afterwards, there will be but little 

^ danger of swarms leaving after being introduced into such hives. 

j PREPARATION OF HIVES FOR THE RECEPTION" OF SWARMS. 

j Various are the opinions of bee-keepers in regard to the best mate- 
j rials to be used in washing or rubbing hives, previous to hiving bees 
I in : some use one thing and others another ; but I am satisfied that it 
( makes but a little difference what is used, provided the hive is per- 
( fectly clean to commence with. If the hive is an old one that bees 
have formerly occupied, it should be thoroughly scalded, to destroy 
j the larvae of moths or other insects. If a new, clean hive, a httle salt 
I and cold water, to cool the hive, or a little honey and water, or salt 
and water, sweetened with either honey, molasses, or sugar; these 
ingredients may be applied to the hive with a sponge, or, as some pre- 
fer, peach leaves, others hickory, others clover, and others bee-balm ; 
the latter is, I am satisfied, preferable to either of the others. I gene- 
rally use a table for the hive to stand upon, spread a cloth or cover 
over it, and place two sticks of wood nea r the centre for the hive to 
\ stand upon ; these may be two or three inches in diameter ; these raise 
the hive from the cloth and give the bees free access into the hive, and 
also admit a free circulation of air under the hive, which facilitates the 
bees entering it, and renders them less liable to leave the hive. Should 
they be disposed to cluster on the outside the hive, sprinkle them 
lightly with cold water, and with a dust brush or a fowl's wing, brush 
them gently down towards the bottom of the hive, and by repeating 
this operation two or three times they will usually all enter. 

3 



CHAPTER XIII. 

ARTIFICIAL CLUSTERING SHRUBS OR BUSHES. 

Artificial clustering shrubs may be found very beneficial by any 
one who will take the trouble to prepare them, either when small 
shrubbery and trees are plenty, or in an apiary destitute of them : 
small pine or cedar shrubs six or 8 feet in height, or boughs of these 
may be tied to the tops of poles of about the same length ; set these up 
around the apiary at two or three rods apart, or what is still better, 
take the seed-ends of mullen-stalks about a dozen in number, and tie 
these to the tops of poles as before stated ; the poles should be set in 
the ground so as to be easily taken up after the bees have settled on 
them ; by managing in this manber, the hive may be set in the apiary, 
before hiving, and the bees may be carried on the pole and laid by the 
side of the hive, when they will enter it ; this saves the trouble of 
moving the hive after hiving, and consequently no bees will be lost. 
The mullen tops should be attached to the poles so as to lie nearly 
horizontally. What there is in the mullen stalks so attracting to the 
bees I know not, unless it is their rough, uneven surface, which af- 
fords the bees security against falling j old dry weather-beaten stalks are 
as good as any. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



HIVER. 



When an apiary is situated near large trees, a hiver will be found 
very convenient in many instances, when swarms settle on trees so 
high as to be out of reach, when standing on a chair or stool. It may 
be made in either of the following forms, and at trifling expense. 1st. 
Take two pieces of thin light boards eightee^?. or twenty inches long, 

50 



DIFFERENT SWARMS CINITING. 61 

and ten or twelve inches wide, nail them together similar to a mason's 
hod (for carrying mortar) ; several auger holes of about one inch in 
diameter should be bored in each. A forked shank made of half-inch 
iron should be fastened to the sides with small screws, the shank ex- 
tending some eight inches to secure it to a handle. Handles of differ- 
ent length may be made to fit the shank, or the handle may be length- 
ened by means of ferrule joints to any reasonable length. Another 
I form is made merely by attaching the third piece of board to the former, 
in the shape of a triangle, leaving both ends open ; this may be used to 
I advantage when swarms settle in the forks of trees, or on the body, 
where they cannot be shaken off. Place the hiver by the side of the 
i swarm so as to touch them, and by agitating them a trifle, they will soon 
' enter it through the auger holes, when they may be taken down and 

shook out upon a cloth, and a hive placed over them. 

'. Another form of h^iver is made of four strips of plastering lath, 

I three or four feet in length, (or strips of board of equal size.) Nail 

I these together at their ends, forming a square framework. Stretch a 

I piece of eloth over the frame, and secure it with tacks. Pieces of 

( cord, three or four feet in length, should then be fastened to each cor- 

! ner of the frame, and the other end of the cords fastened to the end 

, of a pole for a handle. This makes a light convenient platform to 

shake the bees on to when they chance to settle on limbs of fruit trees, 

j so high as to be out of reach, and such as would injure the tree to 

sever the limb. The handle, as before stated, may be lengthened to 

suit circumstances ; the bees, after being lodged on the cloth, may 

be carried and placed on a table, or any other place desired. Care in 

all cases should be taken to protect the hive from the rays of the 

sun, and keep the bees as cool as possible. 



CHAPTER Xy. 

DIFFERENT SWARMS UNITING. 

In an apiary of a large number of hives, different swarms issuing 
at the same time will be very likely to unite and settle on the same 



52 UNITING SECOND OR WEAK SWARMS. 

branch, and even when a swarm has issued, and the bees have nearly 
all entered their new habitation, another swarm coming out at that 
time will often unite with them, and another a half hour after will 
follow the former, and I have frequently known three or four swarms 
to congregate in this way, producing nearly a bushel of bees. In 
large apiaries swarms are very likely to congregate, as I have stated, 
and hence it is very necessary that everything should be in readiness, 
and a swarm hived as soon as possible. If the bees are backward 
about entering their hive, sprinkle them a little with cold water, this 
will hurry them in. The bees also that are expected to issue, may 
be dampened a little, which may retard their swarming a few mo- 
ments until the others are secured. When a swarm has issued and 
the bees have not all entered the hive, and a second issue commences, 
the former may be covered with a sheet so as to prevent the latter 
joining them. If artificial clustering poles are used, as soon as all, 
or nearly all the bees have settled, they may be carried immediately 
into a dark room, and a hive placed over them, Avhen they will enter 
as well as in the light. An extensive apiarian informed me *that he 
adopted this plan. He had constructed a room expressly for the 
purpose, and as soon as a swarm had settled, he immediately carried 
it into the room, and placed it by a hive, and when the second had 
settled he took that there also, and that he had frequently had half 
a dozen in the room at the same time, but being in the dark they did 
not fly or mix at all, but would soon enter their hives, when they 
were removed to their allotted place in the apiary. 



CHAPTER XYI. 

UNITING SECOND OR WEAK SWARMS. 

Two or more swarms may be united without difficulty; and 
it is generally better to put two, and in some instances, even 
three late weak swarms together, than in separate hives. The 
best and most convenient time to accomphsh this union is at the time 



UNITING SECOND OR WEAK SWARMS. 53 

the swarms issue. If two or three swarms issue on the same day, they 
may all be put together at that time. If one swarm should be hived 
before the second comes off, take the second and shake it down by 
the side of the hive containing the first, and they will immediately 
join those in the hive. Should a third come off the same day, before 
the hive is placed on the stand, this may be hived the same as the 
second. When the second does not come off until a day or two (or 
more) after the first, the best way will be to hive it in a common 
square hive, and in the evening following, spread a cloth upon the 
ground, lay a small stick of wood upon it near the centre : bring the 
hive containing the first swarm and set it upon the cloth with one 
side upon the stick of wood, so as to affbrd the bees a convenient en- 
trance into it, when shaken from the other hive ; then place a small 
piece of board on the cloth, eight or ten inches from the hive, then 
bring the hive containing the second swarm, and give it a good smart 
jar upon the board, which will usually dislodge nearly every bee at the 
first effort. If however, a few bees should still cling to the hive, they may 
be brushed out with a wing, or even with a twig containing leaves, or the 
hive may be placed on its side with the bottom near the other hive, when 
the bees will soon leave it and unite with the others. If it should be 
desirable to add a third swarm, they may be hived in the same 
manner. After the bees have all entered the hive, it should be placed 
in its former position before the bees commence flying the next 
morning. Smoking the bees a trifle with burning hnen or cotton 
rags, at the time of hiving, I think, is advantageous, as it prevents 
them from distinguishing the bees of the new swarm from those of 
their own, and they unite readily without quarrelling. One of the 
queens will of course be destroyed, though in some instances not 
until several days or weeks afterwards. 



CHAPTEE XVII. 

REUNION OF THE PARENT STOCK WITH A SECOND OR THIRD 

SWARM. 
When an old stock hive, that has been occupied by the bees for 
three or more years, and the combs have become thick and unfit for 
breeding, throws off a second or third swarm, and thereby be- 
comes weak, they should be reunited to the last issue, as neither will 
usually be worth anything if permitted to remain separate. This re- 
union may be accomplised in the following manner. Hive the swarm 
as usual, and at sunset of the same day, after smoking the old colony 
slightly with burning cloth, remove it a short distance from its loca- 
tion, and set the hive containing the new swarm where the old one 
formerly stood; turn the old hive upside down, with the bottom off 
and drum smartly on its sides, with sticks about the size of flour-bar- 
rel hoops ; the bees will soon commence leaving, and return to their 
former alighting place, and enter the hive with the new swarm. If 
some burning rags are kept around the hive during the operation, the 
bees will not be as likely to show fight, and will leave the hive more 
readily. 

If it is late in the season, they may require feeding; this should be 
done during the month of October or November. In uniting the old 
colony with the swarm, considerable honey is frequently^ obtained 
from the old hive, and the bees introduced into a hive with new and 
healthy combs, and a good colony obtained from the two weak ones 
that m all probability would not have survived the winter, had they 
not been united. 



CHAPTEK XYIII. 

EQUALIZING COLONIES. 

In case one hive contain a superabundance of bees, and the stock in 
another have become weak, in consequence of throwing off two or 
more swarms, or any other cause, an equalization may be effected 
very easily, and benefit the weaker colony very much, while it will 
not prove the least detrimental to the other. All that is necessary to 
be done is to change places with the hives ; if the bees should be clus- 
tering on the outside of the hive of the strong colony, remove it a 
short distance (say twenty- five or thirty feet) from its former position ; 
set the other hive where it stood, then brush the surplus bees from 
the former on to a cloth, and set the hive in the place where the other 
was removed from ; the bees that are left on the cloth will immediate- 
ly return to their former alighting place, and enter with the weak col- 
ony ; and for several days following many of the bees that sally forth 
to the fields from the strong colony, will return to the place of their 
former residence, and unite with the weaker one. 

SWARMS CONSIST OF BEES OF ALL AGES. 

Many persons (and bee-keepers, too,) are of opinion that swarms 
are composed entirely of young bees, and that those that remain in 
the parent hive are bees of the previous year, but this is a mistaken 
idea ; swarms are composed of a mixture of old and young bees, and 
are led off by the old queen. They appear to issue forth at the time 
of swarming, without regard to age, leaving also a mixture of all ages 
in the parent hive. A majority of course, in both families, are young 
bees, as four-fifths of the whole population is produced every spring. 



CHAPTEE XIX. 

THE CONVERSION OF THE EGG OR LARVA OF A 
WORKER TO A QUEEN. 

That the bees do possess the power, when deprived of their queen, 
of supplying the deficiency by converting the larva of a worker into 
a queen, is a fact at this day well known by all scientific apiarians at 
least. 

Schirach has the honor of first making this discovery, though in the 
first instance accidentally, as we might say. He having used smoke 
pretty freely in some of his experiments, which compelled a quantity 
of the bees to leave the hive, and among them the queen. Knowing 
that she had left, and the sad consequences that he supposed would 
follow if she were not returned, he sought diUgently for her, but with- 
out success. ISText morning he noticed a small cluster of bees near the 
hive that the queen had left, and among them he discovered the queen ; 
he carried her to the hive, when she was surrounded by the bees in 
such a manner as satisfied him that she was their sovereign. And he 
says, •' What was my astonishment when, wishing to introduce her 
among the combs, I saw the bees remaining, had already planned, and 
almost finished three royal cells. Struck with the activity and saga- 
city of these creatures to save themselves from impending destruction, 
I was filled with admiration, and adored the infinite goodness of God 
in the care taken to perpetuate his works. Having carried away two 
of the cells, to ascertain whether the bees would continue their oper- 
ations, I beheld next morning, with the utmost surprise, that they 
had removed all the food from around the third worm left behind, on 
purpose to prevent its conversion to a queen." 

Similar experiments have since been made by Huber, and a host of 
other apiarians, and followed by similar results, and the fact is now 
established with all scietitific apiarians beyond the possibility of a 
doubt. 

The process adopted by the bees in producing artificial queens is 

56 



FORMATION OF ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 57 

the same as that of natural ones ; all the difference there is in the oper- 
ation is, the cells of the natural queens are formed before the eggs are 
deposited in them ; while the eggs, from which the artificial queens 
are produced, are deposited in common worker cells, being the same 
kind of egg that is deposited in a royal cell, all that is required to 
make a queen of the worker egg is a more capacious cell and a differ- 
ent kind of food. 

The manner of converting a worker egg or larva into a queen is 
as follows. As soon as the bees have ascertained that they are desti- 
tute of a queen, or in a few hours after, they commence cutting away 
three or four of the cells adjoining the one containing the larva they 
have selected for a queen, and construct a royal cell of the contents 
of the demoKshed ones. IJsually from three to six of these royal cells 
are commenced in different portions of the combs containing worker 
eggs or larv« ; the larvae in these cells are now fed on different food 
from that fed to the workers, being the same as that fed to natural 
queens. This food changes the insect from a worker to a queen, pro- 
ducing a more perfect development of the female organs. 



CHAPTEE XX. 

FORMATION OF ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 

Although the art of forming artificial swarms has been known for 
many years, yet but few apiarians have practised it to any extent. 
The whole sum and substance, and I may say secret of forming artifi- 
cial swarms, Hes simply in the fact, that the worker bees possess the 
power of converting a common worker egg (and even the larva, if it 
is less than four days old) into a queen at pleasure. This is a wise 
provision of nature, fordid they not posses this power, many a colony 
of bees would become extinct that now survive many years. 

Having previously explained the manner in which artificial queens 
are produced, which affords the basis of forming artificial swarms, I 
will now proceed to inform the bee-master how he may produce artifi- 
cial swarms with very good results, provided he has a hive containing a 
3* 



58 FORMATIo:^: of artificial swarms. 

surplus number of bees, sufficient to constitute a family of medium 
size. The earlier in the season a swann is formed the better, pro- 
vided the colony from which the swarm is taken affords sufficient 
bees to constitute two colonies. Artificial swarms may, however, be 
formed as late as the 1st of July, from colonies that have not swarmed 
during the season, and that have a large surplus number of bees, gen- 
erally clustering outside the hive. All that is necessary to be done 
is to prepare a good clean hive, and a piece of brood-comb, from some 
hive in the apiary, containing worker eggs, or larvae less than four 
days old. The piece of comb should be not less than three or four 
inches square. Prepare some melted bees-wax. and with a sponge or 
small piece of cloth dipped in the melted wax, besmear the top of the 
hive near the centre, where the comb is to be attached, then with a 
sharp knife trim off the edge of the comb that formerly was upper- 
most, so as to have it fit the top of the hive ; have a bar or some plate 
of iron with a smooth and even surface, heated, and place the edge 
of the comb against the iron, sufficient to melt it, and then quickly 
place it in the hive, with the melted edge in contact with the wax. If 
the melted wax and the comb are put in at the same time, before the 
wax hardens, so much the better, as it will unite the more firmly. It 
would be well also to insert one or two sdcks through the hive, a 
short distance below the combs, to support the bees, as there would 
be less danger of the bees disuniting the comb from the hive, in clus- 
tering upon it 

The next thing to be done is to prepare for action. If the bee- 
keeper has not a regular bee dress, let him put a gauze veil over his 
face, making it secure against the entrance of bees, around his neck 
and face, and put on a thick pair of woollen mittens or gloves, tied 
tight around the wrists. If there are a large quantity of bees clustered 
on the sides of the hive, smoking them a trifle with burning rags 
will render them less irritable. The old hive should be taken up 
gently, and the new one immediately set in its place, and the old one 
carried a short distance from its former position, and if there should 
be any bees on the outside of it, let them be brushed off gently upon 
the ground or on a cloth, and the most of them will immediately return 
to the new hive. I^ however, a majority remain in the old hive, turn 



MASSACRE OF DEONES. 59 

it bottom upwards, and with a small stick in each hand drum upon 
the sides of the hive, until a portion of the bees leave. The hive 
should then be placed upon the stand, at least ten or twelve feet from 
where it formerly stood. Considerable additions will be made to the 
new hive for several days, as many of the bees that issue forth from 
the old hive will return to the new. It would not be advisable to 
form artificial swarms later in the season than the first of July, and 
not even then, unless the old stock is a very populous* one. 



CHAPTEK XXI. 

MASSACRE OF DRONES. 

The usual massacre of drones takes place about the last of July or 
beginning of August, sometimes earlier and sometimes later, accord- 
ing to seasons and chmate, generally not until after the swarming sea- 
son has past, as they may then be regarded as of no further use to the 
colony, but, as Dr. Bevan observes, useless consumers of the fruits of 
others' labors. These massacres continue for several days, and I have 
many times watched the poor persecuted creatures, and could not but 
pity them, as they were harassed by the laborers, and were not al- 
lowed a moment's rest or a particle of food while in the hive. Some 
have supposed that their destruction has been effected by the sting of 
the workers ; others that their wings are disabled, and others that it 
is through continued weariness and hunger; and, I think, from 
observation, that as many die of the latter as of either of the other 
causes, probably, a portion from each. Dr. Bevan says that at the time 
of this general massacre, not only all the drones that have undergone 
their full transformations, but every embryo, in whatever period of 
its existence, shares the same fate ; the maxim of bees being to attend 
to the general welfare of the community, and to allow none to eat 
that are not useful in some way. 



CHAPTER XXII . 

DEIVING OR DISLODGING BEES. 

Evert bee-keeper should understand this branch of bee culture, 
as much benefit may be derived from it in many instances, in chang- 
ing the bees from old hives to new ones. Various ways and means 
have been resorted to to accomphsh the result. Some use water, 
others tobacco smoke, others fungus (or puff-ball), such as is found in 
our meadows, in the fall and spring. 

I have used all of these means in several instances, but I have had 
the best success generally when I have used a little smoke of burning 
linen or cotton rags, in connection with drumming on the hive with 
rods. In using water it injures the honey, and there is more danger of 
destroying the bees. The best way to drive with water, (or the way 
that I have had the best success,) is to prepare a cask with one head 
out, a little longer than the hive, and large enough to receive it ; liave 
sufficient water in readiness to fill the cask, and after blowing a 
whiff or two of smoke under the hive containing the bees, bore 
a hole in the top of it and turn it upside down carefully, 
and set the other hive on the top of it, and immediately wind a 
cloth around the hives, at the joint where they connect, so as to 
entirely confine the bees, or there will be trouble in a short time, for 
if there is left an opening large enough for a bee to escape, he will 
find it, and so will others. Put a small quantity of water in the cask, 
and set the hives in it, commence pouring in water slowly, and at the 
same time drum smartly upon the lower hive with sticks. If the cask 
is too small to aflTord room to drum on the hive, it may be done for a 
few minutes before the hives are set in the cask. Pour in the water 
slowly, occupying some half hour in filling the cask. When the top 
hive is taken from the other, it should be set on the stand where the 
old one was taken from. Set the old hive a short distance from the 
apiary, and take off one side and remove the combs, brushing off the 
bees remaining among the combs, upon a cloth, and they will mostly 
revive and return to the hive on the stand. The best time to per- 
60 



DKIVING OR DISLODGING BEES 61 

form their operation is before sunrise. I will describe my other 
method, and bee-keepers may choose which they prefer. 

In driving, I have in every instance drove the bees into my boxes, 
and the operation is as follows : First obtain a piece of board large 
enough to cover the bottom of the old hive, containing the bees you 
wish to drive ; cut a hole in the centre of this, very nearly the size of the 
inside of one of the boxes : if you have no compass-saw to cut out this 
opening, split open the board, or take two pieces half the width, put their 
edges together, mark for the hole, and they may then be sawed with 
a hand-saw, and afterwards united and secured together by nailing a 
couple of thin elects on the upper side, against the side of the box, so 
as to retain it in its place while driving the bees. Close the commu- 
nications in the sides of the boxes with the dividers, and drive a small 
tack against the back edge, to prevent them from moving, so as to let 
the bees escape ; close the opening in the front also with a piece of 
wood. Set one of the small boxes on the top, then drive a good 
size nail in the two opposite edges of the board this box stands on, 
and tie a cord from the nail over the top of the boxes, so as to secure 
them together firmly. See that the surface of the board the boxes are 
attached to is even and level, to fit the old hive ; provide some rods 
the size of your finger, or pieces of flour-barrel hoops will answer. 
And also tools to take off" the side of the old hive after the bees are 
out, and a long knife and pans to receive the combs and honey, as 
it will be necessary to remove them, unless the new hive can be set 
where the did one formerly stood. In this case the combs need not be 
taken from the old hive, but the hive taken to a dark room or cellar, 

I and the remaining bees will leave and join their former companions. 

I Commence the operation by blowing a few whiflfs of smoke under 
the bees in the old hive, then turn it upside down carefully and 
place the box over it, and stopping every little crevice between the 
hive and box with rags, so as to secure every bee ; and if a cord 
were put around the whole now, and tied securely, it would pro- 
bably save trouble, as there is danger of the board being moved and 
let out the bees. (I always do this, as I find it the most safe way.) Now 
let a couple of persons, with a rod in each hand, commence striking 
smartly on the sides of the old hive, commencing near the bottom, 



62 DRIVING OR DISLODGING BEES. 

and working up gradually. A cloth should be covered over.the boxes 
to exclude the hght When a majority of the bees have ascended 
into the upper boxes, (which may be known by removing the cloth,) 
raise the box a trifle, and blow a little smoke under the bottom, and 
set it quickly into the hive; at the same time have another person 
ready with another box, prepared to set over the old hive, and continue 
the drumming until you find nearly all the bees have ascended into 
the box, when it may be set into the hive. I prefer to remove the 
combs immediately from the old hive, so as to obtain a portion of the 
old combs that contain young brood and eggs, if possible; this I cut in 
pieces to fit the small boxes on top of the large ones, and after sliding 
out the glass, I set these pieces in, leaving a space between them, and 
by cutting small strips and inserting between the combs, they may 
be retained in that position until the bees attach them with wax. By 
adopting the above method, I have found thafe-tlie bees are not liable 
to leave the hive after driving, as they will immediately ascend to 
these brood-combs, and nurse and take care of the young brood, and 
appear much more contented than if robbed of them entirely. 

I have driven swarms in May, and taken fifty lbs. of surplus honey 
from them the same season, and left a good supply for winter use. 

A gentleman in Ohio informs me that he drove a swarm from an 
old hive into one of mine, on the evening of the 18th of May, 1852, 
and it swarmed twice during the season, and procured sufficient honey 
to sustain them through the winter. 

I have drove bees at different seasons, and I find that the earlier 
they are drgve the better; I would, however, not recommend driving 
earlier than the first of April, and then they will require feeding until 
fruit-trees blossom. 

As a general thing, bees that are driven the first of May, will swarm 
as early as those that are not, and often prove more healthy and 
prosperous, and produce a larger amount of honey. 



CHAPTEK XXIII. 

SPRING MANAGEMENT. 

j The prosperity of the bees during summer depends very much upon 
the attention they receive in the spring. A small amount of labor 
bestowed upon an apiary at this time will be well rewarded during 
j the season by the production of early swarms, and amount of surplus 
honey produced. During the month of March, or as soon as the snow 
' has disappeared — and the weather will admit of the bees going abroad, 
j (some seasons earlier, some later, and earlier in a southern than a 
I northern climate,) the hives should be arranged for the season, as it is 
' an injury to the bees to be removed after they have commenced their 
j labors in the spring, and become accustomed to the location of the 
' hive ; as by so doing many will be lost. The floors should be cleaned 
I of all filth and insects, and a httle fine salt sprinkled under the edges 
I of the hive, and the hives set down upon their floors, and if any addi- 
tional amount of ventilation has been afforded during winter, it may 
novy be dispensed with, leaving a small aperture either at the rear or 
bottom of the hive, sufficient to admit a small amount of ventilation, 
but not large enough for the ingress and egress of the bees. It is dur- 
ing March and April, and in some seasons until the middle of May, 
that the bees require all the heat in the hive that they can possibly 
generate, to develop and mature the young brood, and the warmer 
the interior of the hive is kept at this season of the year, the earlier 
swarms will be thrown off. Each hive should be examined also as to 
the amount of honey it contains, and those colonies having but a 
scanty supply of honey should be fed immediately, both to preserve 
the lives of the bees, and invigorate and encourage them. And even 
strong and populous colonies that have sufficient honey to sustain them, 
may be very much benefited by feeding a trifle, as it encourages the 
(i queen to commence laying earlier in the season than she otherwise 
would, for she will never lay to any great extent until some means are 
provided for the support of the young brood. 

68 



64 SUMMER MANAGEMENT. 

The hives should be raised and examined daily, and all filth removed 
from their floors, and if it is done gently, it will soon cease to disturb 
the bees, and they will receive it as a favor, rather than otherwise, 
and will soon become so completely domesticated that they may be 
handled with perfect safety, and when they throw off a swarm, it 
will be far less hable to leave, than if formerly neglected. If the hives 
are well sheltered from north and west winds, and brought within 
the rays of the sun at this season, this will also conduce to their early 
swarming. 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

SUMMER MANAGEMENT. 

During summer weeds and all vegetation should be kept clear from 
the hive ; spider webs also should be cleared away, and the hives pro- 
tected from storms. This also is the time for moths, that is, during 
July and August, and if the apiarian will occasionally at evening pass 
around his hives with a light he may destroy a great many millers 
that are lurking about the hives, much more successfully than during 
the day-time. 

These millers are of a light gray color, and about half an inch in 
length, and rather slim — and are as spry as a weasel ; it is utterly use- 
less to attempt to catch or pick up one with the fingers, and the only 
effectual way to dispatch them is to put on an old mitten, and with 
the flat of the hand give them a sly and sudden slap ; in this way a per- 
son after a Httle practice may succeed in destroying them with toler- 
able success. They may often be seen during the day-time about the 
outside of the hive, or in the joints, or between boards. If a dish of 
sweetened vinegar and water be placed near the hives during the 
night, a good many may be destroyed by this means, as they will be 
attracted to it by its flavor and fall into it, and will not be able to arise 
again. Many suppose that the miller will deposit her eggs in the 
joints or cracks on the outside the hive, but this is a mistake, unless 



WINTERING BEES. 65 

there is wax or propolis to deposit them in. The egg requires some 
nourishment to mature it, and instinct teaches the miller this, and this 
accounts for her anxiety to gain an entrance into the hive where she 
can have access to the wax and combs. The best and most effectual 
protection against the ravages of this insect are strong stocks, and 
hives that afford a small amount of unoccupied room. 



CHAPTER XXY. 

FALL MANAGEMENT. 

About the first of September it is necessary to examine all the hives 
' in the apiary, and those containing weak swarms, or such as do not 
I fill their hives, should be set close upon their floors, and the entrance 
I for the bees contracted so as to admit only one or two at a time. This 
rwill, in a great measure, prevent their being attacked by robbers. The 
I weight of each hive should be ascertained, and if found to contain less 

than twenty lbs. of honey, they should be fed until that amount is 
, made up. October is the month for feeding. The hives from this 

time till spring should be sheltered from the rays of the sun, and kept 

in as even a temperature as possible. 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

WINTERING BEES. 

Much diversity of opinion exists among apiarians in regard to win- 
tering bees, as well as on other points connected with bee culture. 
Some recommend burying them in the earth, some removing them 
( into barns or other out-buildings, some into cellars, while others let 
them remain on the stand unprotected and exposed to all the various 
changes of the weather, during winter warmed and animated by the rays 



QQ WI2s"TERING BEES. 

of the sun by day, and chilled and benumbed by the severe frost of night. 
That bees will sometimes survive the winter, when properly buried, 
and consume but a small amount of honey, I will not deny ; but in 
nine cases out of ten it will eventually prove their ruin, as the combs 
are very liable to mould, and in that case they are unfit for use. The 
same difficulty is liable to attend them when kept in cellars, unless it 
be a very dry cellar, and the hives well ventilated. If the apiary be 
an out-door one, the.hives may be removed into an out-building, if it be 
a dry, unoccupied one ; care, however, should be taken in supplying them 
with a suitable degree of ventilation, and protecting them against the 
attacks of mice. The common square hive may be ventilated in the 
following manner during winter, and while it secures the bees against 
vermin and all intruders, it confines them in the hive : — Take four 
strips of board, (hard wood is best) of such length as will form a hol- 
low square or frame, just the size of the hive at the bottom. These 
pieces may be from one to one and a half inches wide, and about the 
same thickness. With a common hand-saw, saw across the pieces from 
the upper side down to within one-fourth of an inch of the lower 
side. The nearer together the slats are cut, the better, as it gives 
more ventilation. Place them under the edges of the hives, with the 
sawed side up. Hives ventilated in this manner, whether in a build- 
ing or out, should be well enveloped in hay, straw, or something 
(some apiarians have adopted the plan of setting boxes over their 
hives) to entirely exclude the light, and keep the bees in as even tem- 
perature as possible. A box a few inches larger than the hives 
set over them answers a very good purpose, as they will remain 
much more quiet, and consume far less honey than when left ex- 
posed to all the various changes of a northern cHmate. If one or 
two holes be made in the top of the hive with a half-inch or three- 
quarter auger, and a small box set over it, it will be beneficial 
in affording a means for the vapor to escape, that is produced 
by the breath of the bees, especially if the colony be a populous one, 
as large colonies require a much greater amount of ventilation than 
a small one, on the same principle that mankind do. If we confine 
ten persons in a room sfty twelve feet square, it is plain to every one 
that they would require but one-tenth as much ventilation as one 



WINTERING BEES. 67 

hundred persons would in the same room. The same would be the 
case if one thousand persons were confined in a room one hundred 

t feet square ; it would be necessary that the room afford a good de- 

e gree of fresh air, continually passing in at some suitable point, and 
also a passage for the impure air to escape. But if there were but one 
hundred persons in the same room, the same amount of ventilation 
that was absolutely necessary both for the health and comfort of the 
former, would be both uncomfortable and injurious to the latter, (that 
is, in very cold weather.) It is an old adage that '' circumstances alter 
cases," and it is true in many points in the management of bees. 
There can be no precise theory adopted in every case, without regard 
to circumstances. I would, however, observe here, that in ail cases 
weak families that do not fill the hive, require less ventilation, and to 
be kept warmer during winter than large and populous ones. Many 

\ strong, populous colonies perish every season, just for the want of a 
thorough ventilation of their hives. Many persons in the fall will set 

ij. their hives close down upon the bottom, and no means afforded for the 
air to enter or escape, only where the bees enter. This often becomes 
closed, or nearly so, when the vapor or dampness arising from the 
breath of the bees condenses, often to such an extent as to run down 

T,' in large quantities on the bottom of the hive, when it freezes and 
closes the entrance in some instances air tight, when the bees soon 
perish by suffocation : and even if they do not suffocate, they become 
so damp that they freeze. In conclusion, I would say that it will 
be safe for every bee-keeper to observe the following rules in winter- 
ing his bees: — 1st. Keep the hives in a perfectly dry and dark place. 
2d. See that they are well ventilated. 3d. That they are protected 
as much as possible from the extremes of heat and cold, consequently, 
where the rays of the sun cannot have any effect upon them. 

Some bee-keepers are in the habit of setting their hives bottom 
upward, with a cloth tied over them to keep in the bees, and afford 
ventilation, Mr. Miner recommends this in his winter management. But 
this mode of wintering bees I disapprove of, in toto ; and it appears 
to me that, upon a moment's reflection, every bee-keeper must agree 
with me, for every one knows that more or less bees die every winter 
in the hive ; there are also often large quantities of filth, composed of 



68 FEEDING BEES. 

particles of combs, and other dirt, that accumulate in the hive during 
winter, and when the hives are set upside down, all this filth falls 
dowi among the combs, and will often mould and sour, and injure 
the combs very much. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

FEEDING BEES. 

Feeding I consider a very important part of bee-management, al- 
though it has been almost entirely neglected by a large majority of 
bee-keepers ; many, however, are devoting more attention to the sub- 
ject than formerly, and when they have been enabled to manage so 
as to prevent robbing, they have been well repaid for their trouble. 
There is certainly a most decided advantage to be derived from feed- 
ing, in several respects. 

1st. It enables the apiarian to winter his late and feeble swarms at 
a trifling expense, that, if taken up, would yield him but a small 
amount of honey, but when wintered over, often make as good stock 
hives as any. 

2d. It frequently occurs that strong and populous colonies 
perish with hunger, during the months of March and April, that one 
half hour's attention and twenty-five cents worth of feed would have 
prevented. 

3d. Colonies even that have sufficient honey to sustain them, are 
very much benefited by feeding a httle during March and April, as it 
strengthens and encourages them, and as I have already stated, it in- 
duces the queen to commence laying earher than she otherwise 
would, 

4th. Colonies that are fed early in spring, will usually throw oflf 
swarms full two weeks earlier than those that are not. This I con- 
sider of much importance, as two weeks' time during the last of May 
and first of June, is worth almost as much to a swarm of bees, as all 



f FEEDING BEES. 69 

the rest "of the season. It also enables the old stock to produce a 
much larger amount of surplus honey after swarming, than they 
otherwise would ; the swarms also have time to increase their num- 
bers by breeding, and not only to provide sufficient honey for their 
own support, but often a surplus of from ten to twenty lbs. 
t Various plans and devices for feeding bees have been recommended 
I and adopted by different apiarians. Some have recommended a large 
feeder, (or several of them in a large apiary,) placed near the hives, 
I and all the bees fed at the same time. But I think whoever tries this 
I wholesale feeding will be glad to abandon it, especially if he has any 
: neighboring bees within two miles of his apiary. I know of several 
( who have commenced feeding in this way, (as recommended by Mr. 
■j Gilmore, of Maine,) who not only were robbed of so large an amount 
I of their feed,- but they were obliged to stop feeding ; but after they 
•( did stop, had their hives attacked by the bees that had been baited 
i there by the feed ; and several colonies ruined by them. 
■j Bees may be fed in the top of chamber hives, sufficient to sustain 
'I them, provided especial care is taken to prevent robbing. Before 
i feeding is commenced, the hives should be set down on their floors, 
i' and the entrance for the bees closed so as to admit only one or two 
1| at a time. If the hive is a chamber-hive the feeder may be placed in 
the chamber ; if the hive has no chamber, two or three inch auger- 
holes may be bored in the top, and the feeder placed by the side of 
i them, and covered with a small box, and this covered with a piece of 
i old carpet, to prevent other bees scenting the feed. If the hive is not 
filled down within three inches of the bottom with combs, the feeder 
may be set there, if but little feeding is desired ; but recollect, when 
^ feeding from the hoitom the bees must be confined entirely while feed- 
ij ing, or robbers will be sure to find it. 

A feeder with a floating cover, made either of narrow strips of 
i| boards, from one-eighth to one-quarter inch thick, and half inch 
wide, with narrow strips tacked across their ends ; or it may be made 
of one piece slit with a fine saw as near together as every half inch, to 
'({within three-quarters of an inch of one end, and a piece tacked across 
each end to hold the strips in their places. A small wooden pin or 
nail should be put in each end, one and a half inches high, to afford 



70 WAX MADE FROM HONEY. 

facilities to raise it with, -when the pan is to be filled ■with syrup. The 
pan is made of tin, and about six inches square, and two inches high. 
The float should nearly fill the pan, leaving no space for the bees to 
get down between the edges and the pan. I shall give a description 
of another kind of feeder, when I come to speak of my hives. A 
composition for feeding that will answer every purpose may be made 
of the following articles, viz. : — 

1st. 2 lbs. West India or Orleans sugar. 

3 gills ale. 

1 gill Malaga wine. 
(If the ale and wine cannot be had, use sap or water.) 

1 tea-spoonful fine salt. 
Mix together in a tin or copper vessel ; set it over a slow fire ; stir 
occasionally until it arrives to a boiling point; set it off, and let it 
cool, remove the scum, and it is fit for use. 

2d. 1 gallon (or 12 lbs.) of "West India or any other honey. 
4 lbs. West India or Orleans sugar. 

1 gal. maple sap or water. 
■^ pint ale. 

2 lable-spoonsful fine salt. 
Heat and mix as above. 

N. B. The above may be made without the ale by using water. 



CHAPTEE XXYIII. 

WAX MADE FROM HONEY. 

Many bee-keepers are not prepared to beheve that the combs are 
made from honey, or that the honey and combs are both produced 
from the same materials ; but on this point I have not the least doubt, 
for from my experiments in feeding, both in my observatory hive, and 
in my combination hive, I am confident that whatever will produce 
honey will also produce wax. 

The following experiment of Huber is to the point : he says, " The 
existence of the organs before described, and the scales seen under 



WAX MADE FROM HONEY. 71 

iifferent gradations, induce us to believe them appropriated for the 
ecretion of wax. But in common with other animal or vegetable se- 
cretions, the means by which this is accomplished appears to be care- 
lully veiled in nature. 

Our researches by simple observation thus being obstructed, we felt 
it essential to adopt other methods for ascertaining whether wax is 
lactUally a secretion or collection of a particular substance. 

Providing it were the former, we had first to verify the opinion of 
Eeaumer, who conjectured that it came from an elaboration of pollen 
in the stomach, though we did not coincide with him in the opinion 
that bees then disgorged it by the mouth. Neither were we disposed 
[to adopt his sentiments regarding its origin ; for like Hunter, it had 
struck us that swarms newly settled in empty hives, do not bring 
jhome pollen, notwithstanding they construct combs, while the bees 
Jof old hives, having no combs to build, gather it abundantly. 
i We had therefore to learn whether bees, deprived of pollen fbr a 
•'series of time, would make wax, and all that is required is confine- 
jment. 

I On the 2-lth of May, we lodged a swarm which had just left the 
.parent stock in a straw hive, with as much honey and water as neces- 
isary for the consumption of the bees, and closed the entrance so as to 
i.prevent all possibility of escape, leaving access for renewal of air. 
j At first the bees were greatly agitated, but we succeeded in calm- 
jing them by carrying the hive to a cold dark place where their capti- 
Ivity lasted five days. They were then allowed to take flight in an 
(apartment, the windows of which were carefully shut, and where the 
jhive could be examined conveniently. The bees had consumed their 
whole provision of honey ; but their dwelUng, which did not contain 
ian atom of wax when we established them in it, had now acquired 
Jfive combs of the most beautiful wax, suspended from its arch, of a 
pure white, and very brittle. 

We do not expect so speedy a solution of the problem, but before 
concluding that the bees had derived the faculty of producing wax from 
honey, on which they fed, a second experiment, susceptible of no other 
iexplanation, was necessary. 

The workers, though in captivity, had been able to collect farina; 



72 ARCHITECTURE OF BEES. 

while they were at liberty, they might have obtained provisions, on 
the eve, or on the day itself of their imprisonment, and enough might 
have been in the stomach or on the limbs to enable them to extract 
the wax from it that we found in the hive. But if it actually came 
from the farina previously collected, this source was not inexhaustible, 
and the bees being unable to obtain more would cease to construct 
combs, and would fall into inaction. 

Before proceeding to the second experiment, which was to consist 
in prolonging their captivity, we took care to remove all the combs 
they had formed in that proceeding. Buernens made them return to 
their hive, and confined them again with a new portion of honey. 

The experiment was not tedious. From the evening of the 
subsequent day we observed them working in wax anew, and on 
examining the hive the third day, we actually found five combs as 
regular as those they had made during their first imprisonment. 

The experiment was continued in such a manner as to satisfy Huber 
fully, that feeding on honey effected the secretion of wax in their 
bodies, without the aid of pollen. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

ARCHITECTURE OF BEES. 

Each comb in a hive is composed of two ranges of cells backed 
against each other. These cells, looking at them as a whole, may be 
said to have one common base, though no one cell is opposed directly 
to another. This base or partition between the double row of cells 
is so disposed as to form a pyramidal cavity at the bottom of each. 
The mouths of the cells thus ranged on each side of a comb, open into 
two parallel streets. These streets or interstices are sufiiciently nar- 
row to avoid waste room, and to preserve a proper warmth ; yet, wide 
enough to allow the passage of two bees back to back. The usual 
distance between the combs is somewhat more than one-third of an 
inch. There are apertures also left through the combs to afford a 



ARGHITECTUBE OF BEES. (O 

passage crosswise from comb to comb, whereby much time and travel 

is saved to the bees. The bees build their cells of a hexagonal form, 

having six equal sides. There are only three forms in which the bees 

can possibly build their cells and make them all equal, without the 

lost of either material or space; viz.: The equilateral triangle, the 

square, and the regular hexagon. Of these three geometrical figures, 

I the hexagon most completely unites the prime requisites for insect 

architecture. First, economy of material ; second, economy of room ; 

thirdly, the greatest possible capacity, or internal space; fourthly, 

! economy of materials and economy of room, produce economy of 

' labor. And lastly, the greatest strength with the least amount of 

I material. 

j Huber asserts that the '' design of every comb is sketched out, and 
I the first rudiments laid by one single bee ; that this founder-bee forms 
I a block out of a rough mass of wax, drawn partly from its own re- 
sources, but principally from those of other bees, which furnish mate- 
] rials, in quick succession, from the receptacles under their bellies, tak- 
. ing out the plates of wax with their hind feet, and carrying them to their 
mouths with their fore feet, where the wax is moistened and masti- 
(. Gated, till it becomes soft and ductile." 

I Huber was enabled by means of his observatory hive to bring 
each bee so completely under his view, that she might be seen to ex- 
tract with her hind feet one of the plates of wax from under the 
scales of her body, where they were lodged, and carrying it to her 
mouth in a vertical position, turn it round so that every part of its 
border was made to pass in succession under the cutting edge of the 
jaws. It was thus soon divided into very small fragments ; and a 
frothy liquor was poured upon it from the tongue, so as to form a 
perfectly plastic mass. This liquor gave the wax a whiteness and opa- 
city which it did not possess originally, and at the same time rendered it 
tenacious and ductile. The scales of wax thus prepared by the bees, are 
applied by them to the roof or side of the hive, as the case may be ; and 
thus a block is raised of a semi-lenticular shape, thick at top and taper- 
I ing towards the edges. When of sufficient size, a cell is sculptured on 
one side of it by the wax-working bees, who relieve one another in 
succession, sometimes to the number of twenty, before the cell is com- 
4 



74 SIGHT. 

pletely fashioned. The cells for the drones are considerably larger 
and heavier than those for the workers, and being generally con- 
structed later, are nearer the edges of the combs. Every cell that was 
ever built by the honey bee, either for workers or drones, has been of 
the same form, and no improvement can possibly be made in its con- 
struction. The depth of the store-cells, however, varies very mate- 
rially ; they may be found from one-fourth to three inches deep. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



SIGHT. 



Many conjectures are entertained in regard to the sight of bees ; 
and authors have failed to agree on this point as in most others. And 
that there is something mysterious concerning it, every one who has 
paid the least attention to the subject must readily admit. For, if 
v/e follow the little laborer during its excursions in the fields, in search 
for honey, we see it proceed from flower to flower with as much pre- 
cision, as though this organ existed in its utm.ost perfection. And 
when it has gathered its little load, it rises in the air, and as true as 
the needle to the pole, it makes its way straight homewards, as if 
in full view of the hive. But let the hive be moved only a few inches 
to the right or left, or let the entrance be partially closed or turned 
around only one inch or two, from the place it formerly occupied, the 
bee appears not to notice this in the least, but flies with unerring pre- 
cision to that point on the alighting board, formerly occupied by the 
door of the hive, and after several fruitless attempts to find the en- 
trance, it rises again into the air, as it would appear, for the purpose 
of removing at such distance from the hive as is best suited to 
the focus of its visual organ. 

Dr. Bevan observes, " The eyesight of bees, notwithstanding the 
wonderful mechanism of their eyes, seems less perfect than their 
other senses ; on some occasions it scarcely serves them to distinguish 



SIGHT. 75 

^ the entrance of their hives, when they come home loaded with pro- 
visions." Wildman thought they saw better when flying than when 
on foot. But says Dr. Bevan, '' I believe upon examination, that this 

\ opinion of Wildman will not be found quite correct; that the mere 
act of flying does not enable them to see objects better, but when on 
the wing, they are at a greater distance from these objects; the eyes 
of these insects being so constructed as to enable them to see best at a 

j moderate distance." Dr. Durham, in speaking of the age of the bee 
and other insects, says, " that the cornea and optic nerves being at 
one and the same distance, are fitted only to see distantial objects,\ut 
not such as are very nigh." '^ This visual orb, this seemingly simple 
speck, though really complicated piece of mechanism," says Dur- 

, ham, "will be found upon examination to form a curious lattice- 

I work, of several thousand hexagonal lenses, each having a separate 

I optic nerve,, ministering to it, and therefore to be considered as a dis- 

( tinct eye." 

I Dr. Bevan, in speaking of these lenses, says, " The hemispherical ar- 

(' rangement of them enables the bee to see accurately in every direc- 

j tion, and without any interval of time or trouble." I think, however, 

I that this assertion of the Dr.'s will not upon examination be found 

I quite correct, for I have many times been amused while watching the 

I operations of the sentinel, stationed around the entrance of the hive, 

to see the bees, when a fly, or miller, or any other intruder, alights 

near them ; with their wings raised, they will turn first one way, and 

then the other, as if to ascertain the location of the enemy, and then 

dart in that direction, but instead of going directly towards it, al- 

I though it may not be more than one inch from the bee, it will fre- 

I quently miss the object by one half that distance, when it will again 

I turn and rush at it with no better success than before, which proves 

j to my mind that their sense of vision is quite imperfect, to say the 

least. 

I have known of two or three instances where second swarms 

have left their own hive, of their own accord, after occupying it for 

a week or more, and constructing combs and storing considerable 

j honey. In each case above mentioned, the hives were standing on 

the same bench, and not more than from eight to twelve inches apart • 



76 POLLEN OR BEE-BREAD. 

and raised upon blocks a half inch thick, or more ; which gave the bees 
an opportunity to pass under the lower edges of the hives, from one 
to the other. And after they had united, and were laboring harmo- 
niously together, instead of all the bees alighting in front of the occu- 
pied hive, the bees that formerly occupied the forsaken hive still con- 
tinned to alight in front of and enter the latter ; but instead of as- 
cending it they would turn and pass out^ and across to the other 
hive, and deposit their loads, after which they would pass out in front 
in company with tha former occupants of the hive. From these cir- 
cumstances it appears to me that their Sense of seeing is very imper- 
fect. If not, why did they continue to pass through their former 
habitation in this circuitous route, when it would have given them a 
much less distance to travel to have entered in front of the hive, in 
company with the first occupants of the hive. 



CHAPTEE XXXI. 

POLLEN OR BEE-BREAD. 

Bee bread is the yellow or reddish substance collected by the bees, 
and carried into the hive on their thighs ; it is the powdered particles 
discharged by the anthers of flowers, in warm, dry weather. It varies 
in color, from a pale yellow to a pale red. 

This substance was formerly supposed (and is by some at the pres- 
ent time) to be the prime constituent of wax, and gathered by the 
bees for the purpose of comb-building. But the experiments of Huber 
and Hunter, and even of others, have proved that wax, or the combs, 
is a secretion from the bodies of the working bees, and that the prin- 
cipal purpose for which they collect pollen, is to nourish or feed the 
embryo-bees. Dr. Bevan observes that '• Huber was the first who 
suggested this idea, and it well accords with what we observe among 
other parts of the animal kingdom : birds, for instance, feed their young 
v.-ith different food from what they take themselves. Mr. Hunter ex- 
amined the stomachs of the maggot-bees and found farina in all, but 



PROPOLIS. 77 

not a particle of honey in any of them." During the fore part of the 
day, while the flowers are yet wet with the dew, the bee may be seen 
on the floAvers, busily engaged in brushing off the farina, and convey- 
ing it to the baskets or cavities in their thighs, and when a sufficient 
quantity is collected she returns to the hive, when part of her cargo 
is instantly devoured by the nursing-bees, as Dr. Bevan says, to be 
regurgitated for the use of the larva, and another part is stored in 
cells for future exigencies in the following manner : " The bee, while 
seeking a fit cell for her freight, makes a noise with her wings, as if 
to summons her fellow-citizens round her ; she then fixes her two 
middle and her two hind legs upon the edge of the cell which she has 
selected, and curving her body seizes the farina with her fore legs, and 
makes it drop into the cell ; thus freed from her burden, she is fully 
prepared to collect again. Another bee immediately packs the pollen 
and kneads and works it down into the bottom of the cell, probably 
mixing a little honey with it, judging from the moist state in which 
she leaves it ; an air-tight coating of varnish finishes this storing of 
pollen." 

. Bees often store bee-bread in large quantities, far greater than they 
consume, and it proves an injury, inasmuch as it is of no manner of 
use, and it occupies the combs that the queen would otherwise use for 
brood-combs. This is one reason why bees do not prove as prosper- 
ous after occupying the same combs for four or five years, for they 
will yearly store more bee-bread than they consume, and after three 
or four years they will often have one-third of their combs stored with 
it, which renders such combe useless. 



CHAPTER XXXIl. 

/ 

PROPOLIS. 

This is a substance with which the bees attach the combs to the 
roofs and sides of their dwelhng, and cement the crevices and joints 
of their domicil, and strengthen its weak places. It is a resinous sub- 



78 PASTURAGE. 

stance, very tenacious, and semi-transparent ; is of a dark reddish color, 
resembling wax. It is gathered by the bees similar to pollen ; they 
transfer it from the first to the second pair of legs, and from them they 
convey it to the hollow of the thigh. It hardens very soon after being 
exposed to the atmosphere. Bevan says '' that so rapid is this hard- 
ening process, that the bees which store it oftentimes find some diffi- 
culty in tearing it with their jaws from the thighs of their collectors." 
In my observatory hive I have often seen the bees in the act of un- 
loading those that had collected it. A bee will enter the hive loaded 
with this substance, when several bees will approach her and commence 
pulling the propolis from her thighs in small threads, and after obtain- 
ing a small quantity, she will knead and work it over in her mouth 
for several seconds, when she will proceed to deposit it about the 
joints of the hive, or at the roof or side where they attach their 
combs. 

It is supposed by some writers that propolis is gathered from the 
resinous exudations of trees, by others from flowers and other mate- 
rials. At any rate, there appears to be no scarcity of this substance, 
in any section or chmate where honey -may be gathered, for bees are 
always able to obtain a sufficient supply for all purposes. 



CHAPTEE XXXIII. 

PASTURAGE. 

It is of the utmost importance to the success of bee-keeping, that 
the apiary be located in a neighborhood supplied with good pastur- 
age for bees, and especially where early blossoms abound. Among 
these may be named the willow, the alder, the hazel, the white (or 
soft) maple. 

" First the gray willow's glossy pearls they steal, 
Or rob the hazel of its golden meal, 
Whil e the gay crocus and the violet blue 
Yield to the flexile trunk ambrosial dew." 



PUKCHASING BEES. 79 

Gooseberries, currants, raspberries, peach, nectarine, apple, pear, 
the locust, also, afford a rich yield of honey. Also, the bass-wood, 
(or Lyme as it is called in some sections,) affords a good pasture for 
some two weeks. Mustard, turnips, melons, squashes, &c., yield more 
or less. But of all the blossoms that tend to supply the honey bee 
with a bountiful harvest, none compare with the Dutch or luhiie clover^ 
(TrifoUum 7-epens,) either in the amount it yields, or the richness or 
purity of its flavor. Wherever white clover abounds, there bees will 
be sure to yield a rich harvest of honey, if properly managed. 

There are seasons in which the bees gather a large amount of 
honey from the leaves of forest trees, deposited by honey-deiu, as it is 
termed. Honey-dew appears on the upper surface of the leaves of 
trees, is a tenacious, transparent substance, and as sweet as honey it- 
self I have seen it upon the leaves of the chestnut and the oak, 
when the leaves would glisten in the sun, as though they had re- 
ceived a coat of varnish. Various conjectures and speculations have 
been entertained by different writers, as to the causes that produce 
this substance, but I am strongly of the opinion that it descends from 
tlie heavens, the same as the natural dews of the evening. 



CHAPTER XXXIY. 

PURCHASING BEES. 

In purchasing bees, their value depends upon the strength or 
population of the colony, its weight, and the number of years they 
have occupied the hive. A good populous family should have in the 
fall from twenty to twenty-five lbs. of honey in store, for their winter 
supply; though they often consume much less; depending upon the 
season, and their exposure to the sudden changes from heat to cold, 
durinsr winter. Still I do not consider it safe to commence the win- 
ter with less than twenty lbs. The number of years the colony have 
occupied the hive may be judged, pretty correctly, from the complex- 
ion of the combs. If it be a swarm of the previous year, the combs 



80 TRANSPORTINa BEES. 

will be a whitish or straw color. If two years old, a light brown or 
copper color. If from two to three years old, a darker brown, and if 
over that, a still darker or nearly black. A colony more than two 
years old (if in the same old combs) are not considered, generally 
speaking, worth as much as those younger, merely on account of the 
age of the brood-combs, as the longer they are used the thicker they 
become, and the cells smaller, and consequently every generation or 
brood of bees that are hatched in the same combs must necessarily be 
smaller^ and move puny and feehle. Old combs, also, are more Hable 
to contain moths than new ones. The strength or number of bees 
may be ascertained by raising the hive, and looking into it, or by a 
shght rap upon the side of the hive. If it is a populous family the 
buzz or noise produced by the bees will be loud, and continued for two 
seconds or more. If it be a weak family it will be quiet, and of short 
duration. 



CHAPTEE XXXY. 

TRANSPORTING BEES. 

The proper time to move or transport bees is after they have 
ceased their labors in the fall, and before they commence in the 
spring. 

In large hives or boxes there is more danger of the combs breaking 
down than in small ones. I have found not the least difficulty in 
transporting bees in my hives. I have carried them when full of 
honey and bees one hundred and fifty miles, by carriage and rail- 
road, without injuring them at all, as they are well supphed with ven- 
tilation, and perfectly secure from escaping from the hive, to harm 
any one. 

In transporting bees in the common hive, if the combs are new, and 
well stored with honey, it will render them less liable to break down, 
to set the hive with the bottom up, with a cloth tied or made secure 



BEES IN LARGE TOWNS OR CITIES. 81 

over it to keep the bees confined, and also to afford them ventilation. 
A wagon or carriage with springs is much better than a sleigh or sled 
to carry them in, as the combs are less liable to jar down, though, in 
cold weather, if there be a good quantity of straw or hay spread under 
them, and care taken, they may be carried without danger in a 
sleigh. The bees should first be made secure in the hives, and at the 
same time sufficiently ventilated to prevent them from smothering. 

The hives should never be moved from their location during the sea- 
son, after they commence their labors in the spring, for in so doing it 
disturbs the bees very much, and many will not be able to find the 
hive, if removed to a new place, but will Hnger around their old loca- 
tion, and finally perish. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

BEES IN LARGE TOWNS OR CITIES. ♦ 

Bees may be kept in most of our large towns, and even in cities, 
with very good success ; much, however, depends upon the surround- 
ing country, as bees usually traverse a circumference of two miles, in 
search of stores. Fruit-trees, shrubs, and flowers afford a good amount 
of pasturage in villages, and cities especially, where the honey locust 
has been introduced as a shade tree. In many villages in Ohio it affords 
a rich pasture for some two weeks, and it comes at a season when it 
is most beneficial to the bees, viz. : between the blossoming of fruit- 
trees and the season of white-clover. 

One, and the main ohjecUon to keeping bees in cities, is the trouble 
and difficulty attendant on swarming ; many persons would gladly keep 
one family of bees, just for amusement, and to obtain honey for their 
own family use, if swarming could be dispensed with. My hives 
remedy this difficulty, and not only this, it is better adapted to these 
locations, as it may be set in buildings, entirely out of the way, and 
the honey taken without the least exposure to the bees, or disturbance 
to them. I have sold over fifty of these hives, during the last four 
4* 



82 HOW THE BEES MAY BE DRIVEN FROM BOXES. 

yearS; in the village of Newark, Licking Co., Ohio, and they have 
produced a yearly yield of from fifty to one hundred and thirty pounds 
of honey, of the purest quality, and the demand for them there, 
where they have been thoroughly tested, is such, that a hive, with 
a good swarm of bees in it, will readily sell for fifteen dollars. I 
could have disposed of scores of them at that price last season, had I 
the bees to accompany the hives. 



CHAPTEE XXXVII. 

HOW THE BEES MAY BE DRIVEN FROM BOXES. 

In boxes destitute of bottoms, there is little difficulty in clearing 
them from the bees. Where the boxes will admit of it, a little smoke 
may be blown into it for a few moments previous to taking it from 
the hive. If the boxes have no bottoms, have a piece of board in 
readiness, and set the box at once upon it to confine the bees, and it 
may then be removed with safety to any place desired. I generally 
perform this operation a Httle after sunset, at which time the bees are 
desirous of returning home ; and I think they will leave the boxes 
more readily. After blowing a little smoke into the box I take it a 
short distance from the hive and turn it bottom up on the ground ; 
the bees will immediately commence crawhng upon the upper side of 
the box and combs, when with a wing I brush them off carefully upon 
the ground, and move the box a short distance and let others come 
up, when I brush them off; and by continuing the operation for some 
twenty minutes, the bees may all be made to leave. Another plan 
practised by many, is to carry the box into the cellar, or dark place, 
with a small opening to admit a httle light, and the bees will soon 
leave and make for the light and return to their hive. 

If the boxes have no bottoms, bottoms should be fitted immediate- 
ly. If the honey is intended for market, thin board is best; but if for 
family use, a bottom made of press paper will answer every purpose. 



VENTILATION. 83 

It should be pasted to the box to exclude the air, ants, &c. Boxes 
with bottoms having holes bored in them from the passage of the bees, 
should also have paper pasted over the holes. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

VENTILATION. 

Bees, as well as mankind, in order to be healthy and vigorous, re- 
quire a pure and healthy atmosphere. And a suitable degree of ven- 
tilation, at all seasons of the year, is not only desirable, but absolutely 
necessary, in order to secure the health, comfort, and prosperity of 
the bees. It will also add much to the amount of honey produced by 
them, as in a well-populated hive, not sufficiently ventilated, many of 
the bees, during warm weather, are compelled by the heat in the 
hive, to leave the interior of it, and cluster andidleaway much of their 
time, when they would be gathering and storing honey if suitable accom- 
modations were afforded. During warm weather, there is no danger 
of an excess of ventilation, provided in so doing the bees are not too 
much exposed to the attacks of robbers and moths. Strong and pop- 
ulous families require a greater amoi^;:it of ventilation than weak ones, 
at all seasons of the year ; and both require less from the last of Feb- 
ruary to the 1st of May than during the remainder of the year ; for 
during this time the stocks are generally reduced in numbers, and 
they require all the heat in the hive that they can possibly generate, 
in order to mature the young brood. Therefore I do not consider it 
advisable to raise the hives of weak stock only a little at the front 
side, until they have increased so as to nearly fill the hive ; then the 
rear may also be raised upon small blocks, and the air permitted to 
pass freely under the hive. 

Bees, when oppressed with heat, possess the power of ventilating 
their domicil; or, in other words, of fanning themselves with their 
wings. Hundreds of bees may frequently be seen in the operation, 
©n the floor of the hive. 



CHAPTEE XXXIX. 

DISEASE OF BEES AI^Ij BP.OOD. 

SoiiE apiarians nave much to say about th.e diseases of bees, such as 
dysentery, diarrhcea, and diseased blood ; but I have never experienced 
any difficulty from these diseases ; and I am confident^ in my own 
opinionj that if bees are kept in hives properly ventilated, and attend- 
ed tOj that there need be but little fears apprehended from these dis- 
eases. In the first place. I believe that the causes that produce these 
diseases, are a want of ventilation in the hive during winter. 

Hives that are not sufficiently ventilated, retain so much of the va- 
por and dampness that arise from the breath of the bees, that the 
combs often mould and sour ; and in some instances even the honey 
will ferment and sour. This, with the impure atmosphere in the hive. 
win not only ndn the combs, but the bees also. 

AH hives should be so constructed as to admit a free circulation of 
pure air at the bottom, and at the same time exclude moths and other 
insects, and have an opening (or openings) at the top, to let the vapor 
and dampness that arise from the breath of the bees escape from the 
hive. This opening should he covered with a box, to exclude the light; 
and insects, and to prevent too strong a current of air passing through 
the hive, at some seasons of the year. Bees that are scantily supplied 
with honey are more liable to become dise^ed than those that are well 
supplied : and it is well to see to it in the Ml, that every colony have 
a sufficient store in to sustain them during winter, and if supplied with 
pure air, not one colony in a hundred will perish from any cause. 



CHAPTER-XL. 

TOOLS FOR CUTTrN'G COMB-S. 

It is necessary that every person using the common hive should 
haye tools suitable for cutting out combs. They may be miuie by any 
blacksmith, and at a trifling expense. 



PRUNING. 85 




The accompanying cut represents the form best adapted to the pur- 
pose ; each should be twelve or fourteen inches long, exclusive of the 
handle, and the blades sharp, so as to cut the combs without breaking 
or bruising them. A spatula, or a long thin carving-knife, also, will 
be found very useful and convenient in pruning or cutting out combs. 

PRUNING. 

Pruning, as it is termed, is practised by some bee-keepers who use 
the square or common hive; but it is attended with more or less 
difficulty, especially by timid persons, and it also disturbs the bees; 
and if the combs contain honey at the time of pruning, so as to drip, 
it not unfrequently attracts other bees, and induces them to rob the 
colony and often destroy them. Some, however, practise it, and are 
very much in favor of this mode of management, and consider it pre- 
ferable to any other, and recommend it as the very best method of 
managing bees in such hives as I have named. Others have tried it 
to some extent, and have abandoned it altogether for the reasons 
above stated. Hence we find, that in this branch of bee culture 
apiarians do not agree any better than on other points connected with 
it; and the reason is obvious : for while one bee-keeper can handle 
his bees as he chooses without the least fear of their stings, will turn 
his hives upside down and cut out the combs, and handle them as though 
they were so many flies, another person would not perform the oper- 
ation to save a colony from destruction ; therefore a hive that one 
person may prefer, and that he can manage bees in to his own satis- 
faction, another person would not use even if he never kept any bees. 
Any person wishing to prune his hives containing old combs, may do 
it without much danger from the bees, and even without any danger, 
if he will only provide himself with a bee dress, such as I have de- 
scribed in another chapter. 

The bees should be first fumigated with the smoke of puff-ball, tobac- 
co, or cloth ; the puff-ball is the most effectual ; and in pruning, it should 



86 TO EXTRACT HONEY FROM THE COMBS. 

not be used too freely, as it will perfectly stupefy the bees so that they 
will fall down as dead. After applying the smoke for a few moments, 
or I might say for one moment, turn the hive bottom up, and with 
the pruning tools cut out about one half of the combs down to the cross- 
sticks, or about half way of the hive, unless you find that the combs 
near the centre of the hive contain young brood ; in that case, such 
may be left. The best time to perform this operation is in the spring 
of the year, say about the 1st of April. On the following spring, the 
other half may be taken, and by so doing the colony very much ben- 
efited. 



CHAPTER XLI. 

TO EXTRACT HONEY FROM THE COMBS. 

As the combs are taken from the hive, those portions containing 
honey free from brood and bee-bread, and fit for use in the combs, 
should be cut and separated from the other and kept by itself And 
such as have a mixture of honey, bee-bread and young brood, put in 
a cullender or flannel bag, and put it in a tin pan, and set it in an oven 
(not sufficiently warm to melt the combs,) and let it remain there for 
an hour or two, occasionally changing the positions of the combs, so as 
to let the honey drain from both sides of the combs; they may then be 
slightly pressed ; if, however, there should be no brood in the combs, 
it will not injure the honey to press the combs as hard as one may 
choose. A little warm water may then be poured upon the combs, 
and again pressed, and the syrup thus obtained will answer very well 
to feed the bees ; if it should be too thin, add a little brown sugar, or 
poor honey, and heat sufiicient to scald and incorporate it thoroughly, 
and when cool remove the scum and it is fit for use. 



CHAPTEE XLII. 

BEES-WAX. 

I FIND that there are many persons that have kept bees for years, 
that do not rightly understand the method of making wax from the 
combs. 

The way I generally manage is as follows : After the combs have 
been cut from the hive and the honey separated from them, press 
them together and put them into a flannel bag, (the smaller the bag 
the better, if it will contain the desired amount of combs) ; put the bag 
into a kettle and a flat stone on the top, to keep it under the water 
while boiling, fill the kettle with water, and set it over the fire, and let 
it boil 40 or 50 niinutes, take it from the fire, and if the kettle is large 
enough to afford sufiicient room for the wax to rise above the stone, 
the stone nor bag need not be removed until after the wax has become 
cold, and been removed ; for if they arc taken from the kettle before 
the wax is, much of it will adhere to the stone and bag, and be 
roasted. 

If the wax is not as pure as desired, wash the bag and put the wax 
into it the second time, and melt it with water as at first. The wax 
may then be put in a smaller vessel and melted, and poured into cups 
or pans, and formed into cakes as desired. The pans should first be 
rubbed over with a httle grease to prevent adhesion. 



CHAPTEE XLIII. 

BEE DRESS. 

Every bee-keeper that has much to do with bees, should prepare 
himself with a bee-dress of some description, so as to be prepared for 
any emergency that may occur. 



88 BEE DRESS. 

Some apiarians can handle bees in all ordinary operations without 
fear of their stings. Still there are occasions that even to such, a bee- 
dress would be very acceptable. Some persons in hiving swarms 
throw a veil over their head and face, but this affords only an imper- 
fect security, though it may answer for all ordinary occasions ; still, I 
think that, as the expense is so trifling, every bee-keeper should pro- 
vide himself with one. It can be made in the following manner, and 
the cost will not exceed two shilHngs : — Take one and a half yard of 
thin, light, three-quarter muslin, and a piec|. of wire-cloth, (such as is 
used for meal sieves,) about six inches square ; it may be obtained of 
wire-weavers in most of our large towns and cities, or of hardware deal- 
ers. Lay the muslin over the head, with the ends down over the shoul- 
ders, with one end of the selvedge in front, and the other back. The back 
part may be cut and fitted to the head, and a cord run in to gather it 
around the neck, and the wire-cloth sewed in over the face, first 
rounding the corners in shape of the face. It should extend down be- 
low the mouth, to afford free respiration, and the muslin sewed to- 
gether below the wire-cloth, sufficient to extend below the vest. It 
may be worn under a coat, but it is not the best way, as it is usually 
warm weather when it is worn, and with the head-dress, and a coat 
over it, a person will be very uncomfortable on account of the heat ; 
besides, the bees will crawl up under one's coat and vest, and when 
in close quarters will often prick through the shirt, and tickle a person 
under the ribs. To prevent this and the other difficulty, I have pre- 
pared myself with a garment made of the same kind of material as 
the head-dress, and in the form of a hunting shirt, open before, with 
buttons close together, to button up tight. I first put on my head 
dress, and then over this my hunting shirt, buttoned under my pants ; 
and with a pair of thick woollen gloves with stocking legs, sewed to 
the wrists, to draw up over my sleeves, and my pants tied over my 
boots, I can defy all the forces they choose to bring against me. 



CHAPTER XLIV.. 

CUEE FOR BEE STINGS. 

Many persons suffer great pain from the sting of bees, and are 
not aware of a palliative to relieve the pain. Tobacco is considered 
by some as the best remedy, though other • articles are frequently 
used. The manner of applying it is as follows: — Moisten smoking 
or chewing tobacco until the juice appears of a dark color, and apply 
it to the part stung, binding it on. If the tobacco becomes dry, moisten 
it. Ammonia or spirits of hartshorn, saleratus and water, sliced 
onions, and cold water alone, are all of them used as curatives. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

SALT AND WATER NECESSARY 

Salt is sometimes spread near and around the hive of bees. They 
partake of it in small quantities, and it is considered beneficial to the 
health of bees. They are fond of it, and as it is productive of no 

I harm, a supply of it is kept where they can eat it as their wants re- 
quire. 

i Water is also necessary ;o the health of bees, and where running 
water is not at hand, it is advisable to keep a sufficient quantity in 
a basin or trough for their use. It is indispensable to the bee in 
constructing combs, and if there is no standing water near, a shallow 
tin pan should be placed near the apiary, filled with small stones, 
about the size of birds' eggs. The vessel should be filled with fresh 
water every morning. The object of the pebbles is to prevent the 
bees from drowning, as would be the case without such precaution 
being used. 

89 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

EEMARKS. 

In the foregoing pages, I have endeavored to state m}'- views in as 
brief and explicit a manner as possible. My opinions, as there stated, 
are the results of practical experience and observation during many- 
years' careful attention to the subject. I am aware that my views 
and mode of management differ in some respects from other writers 
on the culture of the Bee ; but I have endeavored to give my reasons 
for forming my opinions, and adopting and recommending the form of 
hive and mode of culture herein stated, and I leave it with the intel- 
ligent and impartial Bee-keepers of the United States to judge of the 
merits of my labors and the value of my invention. And, judging 
from the universal satisfaction my hive has given during four seasons 
past, and the high commendations bestowed upon it by ninety-nine 
out of every one hundred that have used, or examined it, I can but 
feel confident that unhke a large majority of the patented hives that 
have been disposed of during the last fifteen years, it will prove a va- 
luable invention to the Bee-keeper, and divest the subject of much 
that has formerly been considered mysterious, uncertain and difficult, 
and enable every person that has a desire to engage in the business, 
to prosecute it successfully, profitably and pleasantly. 

The few remaining pages will be devoted to a description and ex- 
planation of my Ohio Combination Bee-Hive, to which I append a 
few of the numerous testimonials I have received from practical ex- 
perienced Bee-keepers, who have tested it. 

(90) 



E. W. PHELPS' 

OHIO COMBINATION BEE-HIVE. 





•li ! ! '^ 



""-^iuiiajj^jlH 



(,)^^*a£M^,,_ 



PATEXTED APRIL 6, 1852. 



ili{!ljs^&^^ 




1'he above cul is a view of the form of my hive, with a case containing four largo 
boxes, with four small ones on the top, for the reception of surplus honey. The usual 
( length I make the case for one family of bees, is three boxes long, as this length is more 
convenient to handle, and it affords sufficient room for one family of bees. Still the case 
may be made ten or twelve feet in length, and contain four or five Axmilies of bees, if a 
person chooses ; and, especially, if it is to occupy a building, such as a wood-house, 
granary, or any out-house, in such instances it may be made even the length or width 

Gl 



92 PHELPS' OHIO COMBINATION BEE-HIVE. 

of the building-, and the openings cut through the weather-lioarding to correspond with 
the openings in the boxes, for the ingress and egress of the bees, and the bees may then 
be set in, and the communication closed between different colonies. Hives got up in this 
manner, and enclosed in a building, will last an age, and will keep the bees in an even 
temperature during winter, \vhich will be a benefit to them ; and they ■will consume less 
honey than when exposed to the various changes of the weather. 

Fig. 1 is a view of the rear of the hive, with the lid raised, sho^ving the arrangement 
of the upper tier of boxes, each with a pane of glass, 6 by 12 inches, covering the entire 
top of the box. The rear door is also open, sho^ving the arrangement of the main boxes, 
each -with a pane of glass in the back side, 7 by 9 inches, to observe the operations of the 
bees, and amount of honey in store, &c. 

Fig. 2 represents one of tlie main or large sections, having the communication closed 
by a dividing shutter that is attached to the side of the box by a screw at its !o\ver end, 
which forms the pivot upon which it moves to open and close the communication between 
the boxes. The boxes are all alike, and may be changed to any pari of the case without 
difficulty. An aperture is cut in the front of each box, as seen at c, Fig. 2, for the ingress 
and egress of the bees ; a spout, or alighting-board, is attached to the front of the hive 
of sufficient length to reach through weather-boarding when set in a building. 

Fig. 3 represents one of the small boxes ; these may be made either with or without 
bottoms ; the top is covered with glass. They v/ill contain, w^hen filled with honey, from 
eight to ten pounds ; the lower boxes aiiout thirty pounds. 

The bottom is attached to the d'ont of the hive by butts, and may be let down at any 
time without disturbing or moving the boxes, as they stand upon strips nailed to the case 
at the bottom, against which the bottom shuts and forms a tiglit joint. The bottom, when 
closed, is kept in place by a button at each end. There are ventilating openings through 
the bottom, three inches in diameter, covered on the under side with perforated tin doors, 
that may be opened and closed at pleasure. The nioth-trap, or device for catching and 
destroying the jnoths after they get into the hive, cannot be seen in the engraving, as it 
is placed upon the floor of the luA'e under the adjoining edges or sides of the boxes. It 
consists in a strip of board, grooved or rabbeted at the edges, to form a harbor for the 
moths on the bottom of the hive ; this slide, or trap, is covered with a tin case, with open- 
ings at its lower edge, corresponding with the grooves in the trap ; the case prevents the 
bees from fastening it to the floor, and admits of its being withdra%\ii and returned with- 
out disturbing the bees. Tins invention is acknowledged by those who have tested it, to 
be the most simple, convenient,'and effectual device for destroying moths ever invented. 

This hive is truly a Comlnnalion Hive, in every sense of the word. And, although it 
combines so many advantages, it is perfectly simple in its construction, and bees are 
managed with less difficulty and better success in it than in any other hive, as all that 
have used it Avill testify. 

The advantages it possesses over others are : — 

1st. Its perfect adaptation (in regard to size) to the actual wants of a colony of bees, 
at all seasons, let it be a large or small one. 

2d. The facilities it affords for obtaining surplus honey, or removing any portion of the 
old combs, are superior to any other, as the bees may be made to leave either box when 
desired, before removing it from the hive, without disturbing or injuring them in the least. 

3d. It affords the best opportunity for observing the operations of the bees, the amount of 
honey in store, and the strength of the colony, at all times, without exposure to the bees. 

ith. The construction of the hive with th,e alighting board is such, that it will often save 
the expense of a building on purpose for bees, as it may be set in any out-building, or in 
a dwelling, as has often been done by those using it. 

bth. It is acknowledged to afford the bees better protection against moths and robbers 
than any other hive, as the small aperture at wkch the bees enter is the only means of 
access for the miller, and this being three inches over the bottom, the bees are not so liable 
to leave it during evening, as if it was at the bottom of the hive. 

6th. It affords a more convenient and effectual means of destroymg moths after they 
get into the hive, than any other. 

lih. It is also acknowledged to be tlie best SAvarming hive known, as the bees may be 
confined to a suitable amount of room until after they swarm, when more room may be 
given, and further swarming prevented, and a larger amount of honey obtained than in 
any other hive. 

8th. It may also be used as a nou-sv.'arming hive, as ample room may be given, and the 
surplus honey and old combs removed as oiten as desired, without disturbing the bees, 
and a larger amount of honey obtained than in any other hive. 

9th. It is acknowledged, by all who have fed bees in it, to be the most convenient liive, 
for that purpose, kno\vn, and the only one that bees can be fed in with any degree of 
safety against robbers. 



PHELPS BEE-FEEDER. 



93 



loth. It is well arranged for wintering bees successfully, as it is well ventilated, and the 
boxes containing the bees being enclosed in a case, keeps them in an even temperature 
during winter, and they consume much less honey than in single hives. 



PHELPS' BEE-FEEDER. 




riTTV"t 


i', \'.': 


ji isiiiiih 


1 


\" r i 
' ii 


1 


|i 



The above cuts represent a feed-box and float, of my o\ati invention, that I have con- 
structed expressly to accompany my Combination Hive, although it may be applied to 
other hives. It consists of a tin pan, or fray, placed in a wooden box, with a float to fit, 
and a tin lube passes through the float and is secured to it on the under side. The float may 
be raised at any time, even if it is covered with bees, by means of the tube, and the syrup 
poured into the pan through the tube 1a' inserting a funnel in the top of it. The float sup- 
ports the bees and prevents them froni getting Into the syrup, and as they consume the 
syrup it settles down M'ith them. A piece of wood across the top of the box, v/ith a hole 
for the tube, keeps it in ils place, and a pane of glass on each side of this confines the 
bees, and afll^rds an opportunity to observe their operations while feeding. The feeder is 
placed in the case by the side of one of the lower sections, while feeding, and the bees 
do not have a distance of over six inches to travel from the main body of the hive to 
obtain their feed, and the comimunication from the hive to the feeder being near the top of 
the box containing the bees, robbers are not at all liable to find their way to it, as they 
must enter the small aperture in the front of the hive, and pass nearly through the centre 
of the colony, to reach it. With this feeder, arranged in this manner, a colony of bees 
may be fed with as little trouble, by a woman or child, as a brood of chickens. 



E. W. PHELPS' 

OHIO COMBINATION BEE-HI VE. 

The subscribers are now prepared to sell State, County, or individual rights for the best 
Bee-Hive in the United States, on the most favorable terms. No other hive has given as 
good satisfaction as this, after a thorough trial, and it receives the unqualified approbation 
of ninety-nine out of every hundred that use or examine it, which cannot be said of any 
other hive in the United States. 
Individual rights, $4 ; for Hive and individual right, $8 ; Hive and right to use the same, 
|{ and no more, $6 ; Feeder and receipt for difierent kinds of feed for wintering bees, and, 
also, for obtaining honey for market or table use, $1. Full specifications for making the 
liives, and directions and explanations for using, suflicientto enable any person who never 
kept bees, to manage them without difiiculty and successfully, (if he will follow the 
directions,) accompany the right. Address, post-paid, 

E. W, PHELPS & CO., Westfield, Mass, 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 

[The followang- extracts, from letters and certificates of coinniendation, are a few that 
I have selected from a large number thai I have received from practical bee-keepers who 
have had my hive in use for a period of from two to lour years, and have had an oppor 
tunit) to test its utility from practical experience ; and, therefore, their opinions are en- 
titled to much more confidence than tne mere assertions and opinions of persons judging 
only from a hasty examination of an article in which so many have been deceived in 
forming their opinions.] 

I hereby certify, that I put a swarm of bees in one of E. "W. Phelps' Patent Bee-Hives 
on the 18th day of June, and during the season they filled three of the lower boxes. The 
next season I took ten boxes of honey that averaged fifteen pounds each, and one large 
box. which I should think would weigh from forty-five to fil'ty pounds. On a fair calcu- 
lation, I feel sure in saying that I too:.-, in all, 180 pounds of honey, and during the month 
of June, my family being sick, and the bees being in the chamber above, I neglected to 
take the honey lYoi'n them, and they swarmed twice. This spring I sold the Patent Hive 
and bees for .$15. and the two new swarms for S5 each, making a profit in less than two 
years of 180 pounds of honey, at 12 1-2 cents per pound, which is S21.60. and $17 in cash, 
together making $38.60. JOHN J. PUTJIAN. 

Newark, 0., Axiril 15, 1849. 

1 have been using one of the above Bee-Hives for two years past, and believe them to 
be decidedly the best hive that has come within my notice. T. W. WH^OX. 

We, the undcrsisrned, certify tliat we are using E. W. Phelps' Patent Bee-Hive, and that 
we thmk it superior to any otiier known to us. During last season we tried the experiment 
tif dividing a co'.ony, and it succeeded to our satisfaction ; both swarms did well, and we 
'.onsider it altogether the best hive that has come witliin our notice. F. F. LAMB, 

Newark, 0., March 10, 1852. L. MERCHi\>vT. 

Mr. C. Springer, member of the 0. S. B. of Agriculture, and President of the Muskingum 
Go. Agricultural Society, in a communication to the State Board, says : — "It is my decided 
opinion that Mr. Phelps' Hive is the best adapted to the habits of the bee, and the conven- 
ience of the apiarian, of anything of the kind that has come within my notice. 

1st. I nave never examined so convenient a moth trap. 2d. It has a good arrangement 
for taking the surplus honey, without which a swarm is comparatively useless. 3d. The 
arrangement for removing the old combs, so essential to keep a colony in health and vigor, 
is of the best kind. 4lh. Its adaptation to the strength and size of a colony has much 
merit. My swarm on the Affleck plan are at this lime unusually troubled with moths, while 
I find none at all in the Phelps hive. For these reasons I should certainly think Mi. P. 
entitled to Letters Patent, for his ingenuhy and skill. I have had several mterviews with 
the gentleman, and believe him to have studied the habits of the honey-bee with more 
accuracy than any man with whom I have conversed on the subject. 

"C. SPRINGER, Meadow Farm, Muskingum Co., 0." 

We, the undersigned, citizens of Licking County, Ohio, hereby certify that we have been 
using E. W. Phelps' Patent Bee-Hive, and that we have satisfactorily tested its great utility. 
We conceive it decidedly superior to any other invention for the keepmg of bees, the pro- 
tection of them from moths and other common enemies, and for the facility of procur- 
in<^ of honey without injury to the swarm. The manner of arranging the di\'iding shutters 
is an advantageous improvement over anjthing of the kind we have ever seen, and m 
fine, w^e deem the ^Vllo!e invention, from our practical experience, and from what we 
know of the habits of bees, a very useful invention, and well deserving of the immmiitits 
of a patent. 

H N. PARKS, A. SHERWOOD, THOS. BLANCHARD, P. N. O'BAXNON, 

HENRY FORRY, JOHN BRUit'BACK, JAilES WEIJLS, WM ALSDORF. 

JAAIES STONE, WM. SHIFXDS, V. ALSDORF, .HlJJt 

SAM'L BOWERS, PETER HOLI.ER, GEO. FJ>rGLE. 

4 



RECOMMEKDATIONS. 5 

I hereby certify, that I am using E. "W. Phelps' Patent Combination Bee-Hive, and, from 
practical experience, I am satisfied that it is the best adapted to the nature and habits of 
the bees, and, also, the most convenient fur the bee-keeper, of anything of the liind that I 
have become acquainted with, and I have kept bees for over twenty-five years, and havo 
used Dugdale's, and two or three other patents, but consider Phelps' Hive far superior to 
either, or all of tliem, in every respect. JAMES WELLS. 

Union, Licking Co., 0., Sept. 20, 1850. 

I hereby certify, that I have kept bees for several years, and have paid considerable 
attention to tiie subject, and that I am now using E. W. Piielps' Patent Hive, and that it 
has fully answered uiy expectations. I think it the best adapted to the wants of the bees, 
and the most convenient hive I have ever known. OLIVER A. MOORE. 

Montgomery, Jan. 1, 1853. 

To whom it may concern: I hereby certify, that, for some time past, I have felt much 
interested in the culture of the honey-bee, and being desirous of adopting the best method 
of managing them, after ntiuch investigation, I was led to believe Mr. Gilmore's plan just 
the thing needed, and, consequently, I purchased a right of Mr. Headly, (Mr. G.'s agent,) 
and, last spring, I commenced feeding on Mr. Gilmore's plan, and was soon obliged to aban- 
don it, on account of my bees being robbed by others. Some time in the latter part of 
June last I had an opportunity of seeing Mr. E. W. Phelps' hive, and considering it far 
superior to Gilmore's plan, or any other of which I have become acquainted, I purchased 
a hive of Mr. Phelps. But the season being so far advanced, I was unable to get a swarm 
into it, (as the swarming season was nearly past when I obtained the hive). And being 
anxious to get a colony into the Phelps hive, I drove one into it about the middle of last 
October, and wijth a few days feeding, they made honey enough to keep them until about 
the middle of January. Since that time I have been feeding them in his house, and they 
are now (Feb. 28th) doing well. I have not only saved my bees, but got them into the 
hive in which I wanted them, and obtained about sixty pounds of honey from the old hive. 

1 have no hesitation in saying that I consider the Phelps Hive the best hive I have ever 
seen ; the most convenient and simple in its construction, and the best adapted to the 
habits and wants of the bee, and the least trouble to the bee-keeper of any other hive 
extant. WM. VAN VRANKEN. 

SchenectadT/, JST. Y., Fed. 28, 1853. 

I hereby certify that I am using E. W. Phelps' Patent Bee-hive, and consider it decidedly 
I the best hive I have become acquainted with, and I have kept bees for seven years, and 
^ paid considerable attention to the subject. It affords the bees the best protection against 
the moth, robbers, and other enemies of any hive I have ever used, and I have not experi- 
1 enced the least difficulty from these causes in these hives, and it is, undoubtedly, the best 
hive for feeding bees known, as I have tried it to my own satisfaction. I put a swarm 
( into one of these hives in July last— it was a weak swarm, and the season being very dry, 
there were but a very few blossoms for bees to obtain honey from — consequently they gath 
ered but a small amount, not half enough to sustain them through the winter. I prepared 
some feed according to the directions accompanying the hive, and commenced feeding them 
about the 20th of August, and fed them for four or five days, and I found they were making 
combs and storing th^em with honey beyond my expectations, while the bees in my otlier 
hives were consuming theirs daily ; and, in order to know to what extent each were pro- 
gressing, I weighed the hive that I was feeding and two others of the same kind that 
contained stronger families and had sufficient honey to sustain them. I then prepared 
$1.20 worth of feed and fed the small swarm, which occupied about a week's time; I 
then weighed the hives again, and found that the swarm that I had fed had increaseil in 
weight lU poimds, while" the others had decreased 3} pounds each, making 15 pounds in 
favor of feeding. I continued feeding until I had fed them about $3 worth of feed, and 
have since taken from them two boxes of good honey of ten pounds each, which is worth 
more than the cost of all the feed I gave them, and I have also saved the bees, which 
would not have survived the winter had they not been feed. I am also acquainted with 
several bee-keepers in this vicinity who are using this hive, all of which are highly pleased 
with them. EDWIN PHELPS. 

Westfield, Mass., March 25, 1853. 

[The following certificate is the second I have received from the Eev. C. Springer; he 
has now three of my common hives in use and one of mahogany, in the form of a wash- 
-stand, in his sittins-room, with bees in it.] -r. , , t> t, 

This is to certify, to whom it may concern, that I have had in use Phelps Patent Bee- 
Hive for three seasons past, and that my bees have done well therein. It is simply the 



96 



REG OMMEND ATI ONS. 



common hive placed in a chest, and surrounded b^' a number of contrivances by far the 
best adapted to the habits of the bee and the wants of the apiarian of anything that has 
come under my notice. C. SPRINGER. 

Meadow Fann, Muskingny>i Co.. 0., Oct. 28, 1852. 

[The following is an extract from a letter I received from Isaac GrifRn, of Quaker 
Springs, Saratoga County, N. Y. He first purchased a hive, and, after using it, he bought 
the right for Saratoga County ; since then he has purchased the right for four counties 
moreO 

<■ Respected Frient), E. W. Phelps : — Last week I took my hive to our County Fair, and 
was awarded a premium of $1.50. I have made some progress in selling rights, and have 
met with much better success than I anticipated ; so, now% I can say that I would like to 

Furchase part, or all, of the following counties." [Naming five counties, four of which'- 
since sold him.] " Thy friend, respectfully, ISAAC GRIFFIN. 

" Quaker Springs, Saratoga Co., N. T., 9th month, 21st, 1852." 

[I am credibly informed, that in less than one week's time he disposed of $325 worth of 
rights in Saratoga county, and was offered $100, cash in hand, for four tovras more. The 
following is from the same, since purchasing four counties above mentioned :] 

ESTEEMED Friexd, E. W. Phelps : — ^I have just returned from a twelve days' tour in 
Columbiana and Renssalaer counties, as I think with very good success. I have appointed 
several responsible agents that are to pay me $2 for every right disposed of. In addition 
to the above, I have realized $20 for indi\adual rights. I will observe that I have shown 
my model hive to a great many persons, and there has not yet an indiAidual told me that 
they ever saw a hive that combined so many advantages as this, and the general sentiment 
has been that it stands unrivalled. Thine, respectfully, ISAAC GRIFFIN. 

Quaker Spi'ings, 12th mx>nth, IZth, 1852. 

JIr. E. W. Phei:ps — Dear Sir : — I have noAv had bees in your hive two seasons, and i*. 
has more than answered my highest expectations. I consider it decidedly the best invention 
for keeping bees that has come within my observation, and I have kept bees for a number 
of years, and have paid a good deal of attention to the subject — have exammed hives of 
various forms and patents — but, in my opinion, none wdll compare with yours, when put 
into practical use ; for, the longer I use yours, the better satisfied I become of its great 
utility. I consider it just what" the bee-keepers of our country have long needed. The 
arrangement of your boxes, (or sections,) with the pane of glass in the back side, and the 
dividing shutters attached to cut off the communication, places the colony under the in- 
spection and control of the apiarian without the slightest exposure to the bees. The 
arrangement of the bottom, also, Avith the moth-traps, placed within the hive, is the mo.st 
simple and effectual device for preventing the ravagtl^of the moth, and the most conven- 
ient and effectual means to destroy them after they have entered the hive, that I have ever 
known. And in fine, take the hive in all its parts, I consider it far superior to anything of 
the kind knoMai to me. It is my intention now to dispense with all my other hives, and 
use none but yours. Your arrangement for feeding bees is the best and most convenient 
that I have seen ; this, I am confident, will make the bee business far more sure and profit- 
able than it has ever been heretotore. 

Tlere might have been a good many of your hives sold in this vicinity if you had serf, 
them here. I viall further state, that I have been aAvarded the first premium, by our soci- 
etv. on honey taken from your hive for two seasons past. Respectfullv, yours, 

Bluerock Township, Muskingum Co., Q., Sept. 25, 1852. CALEB H. HALL. 



[Phelps' Combination BEE-HrrE was a%varded the first premium and diploma, at the Chic 
Stiite Fair, September, 1851, over Kelsey's, Dugdale's, Case & Landrctli's, Wheeler's, Gil- 
more's, and, I think, Repiolds and Colton's. Also, a diploma for the lest hive, at the Indian? 
State Fair, and a premium, at the N. Y. State Fair, September, 1852, and premiums an^.^ 
diplomas, at every county lair where exhr-jKed, lor four years past, when the regulatioztt 
of the societies would admit of giving them to articles from foreign counties.] 



3*7.7 



